The Outcast
by Gypsygrl86
Summary: Before Castiel can force his former friends into serving him, the guys are transported away by Joshua. He tells them of someone who can help save Castiel and in turn, the world. They just have to keep this person alive long enough to do it.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Supernatural. This story and all chapters therein are an independent work for entertainment purposes only. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

Kentucky: March 26, 1990

The air was quiet as the sun rose over the Kentucky countryside. Quiet save for the throaty rumble of the 1967 Chevy Impala speeding down the highway. It was early enough where the Impala was one of the few cars out on the road.

John Winchester looked about the world outside his vehicle and marveled at the sight. Glorious green fields stretched as far as the eye could see, interrupted only by rolling hills, the only sign that they had left behind the Appalachian Mountains.

In John's opinion, the only blemish on the gorgeous view was the fences that marked off the boundary between the highway and the horse farms. It was beautiful and he wished his wife Mary was alive to see it.

John choked back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes and he looked in his rearview mirror to see his sleeping sons. The boys used their bags as pillows and were nestled under a big blanket John kept in the car.

His oldest son, Dean, was already stirring from sleep but his youngest son, Sam, was still asleep, blissfully unaware of the coming day. John then reached back and shook Dean's leg.

"Dean, wake up! You gotta see this!" he said, trying not to be too loud and wake Sam. Dean jumped in his seat and rubbed his eyes.

"Is everything ok, Dad?" the younger Winchester asked, thinking they were under attack. Dean was eleven and was already learning to be aware of the dangers his father faced.

"Yeah Dean, we're fine. I just wanted you to take a look outside."

Dean pressed his face against the window and looked out to the rolling hills. At one point he even saw a horse galloping along one of the fences.

"Wow. Where are we? It's so green here and look at all the horses! Do cowboys live here?" he breathed in awe. Dean was getting older but he still retained some of his childlike wonder.

John knew it would be difficult to hold onto that with the lives they led but for now, he wanted his son to enjoy the moment and be a regular kid.

"We're in northern Kentucky, Dean. I've got a friend here that we're going to visit."

"Do they have a farm? Is this for work? Can we ride horses? How long are we staying?" Dean rapidly fired off questions, his excitement building. John chuckled as he pulled his car off onto US-27N toward the town of Paris.

"Relax, Dean. You'll see when we get there." he replied warmly. Dean smiled and immediately began to wake up his brother.

About thirty minutes later, they pulled off the highway and onto a town road. Sam was now fully awake and eagerly awaiting their arrival at this new place.

"How much longer, Dean?" Sam whispered.

"I don't know, Sammy. Just be patient." his older brother replied as he pushed back Sam's wavy, brown hair from his eyes.

Not long after, they pulled up to a tan house with brown trim and a large front porch. On one end was a porch swing and at the other end was a small table with two rocking chairs on either end of it.

Behind the house were two large barns, separated by segmented fields, dotted with grazing horses.

Back at the front of the house, Sam and Dean noticed a woman digging and next to her were flats of flowers. John followed the driveway until he was next to the house.

The woman looked up from her work and smiled when she recognized the car. She waved and began to head toward them. Dean noticed that she had a slight limp in her right leg.

John quickly parked the car and got out to open the passenger door for his sons. Once they were out, he led them to meet the woman.

She was about average height, by Dean's estimation, and slender. Her skin had a dark tan from working out in the sun and her brown eyes had crow's feet at the edges but were warm and kind as she looked at the Winchesters. Her dark brown hair was pulled back for working and her clothes were smudged with dirt from working in her garden.

"Why John Winchester, I was wondering when you were going to come visit me." she said happily and gave him a big smile. Dean noticed that her voice was pleasant and it had a slight southern twang to it.

"Hello, Sally." John replied and gave her a hug. She returned the hug and then looked to the boys.

"And who are these fine young gentlemen?"

Sam fidgeted shyly but Dean stood tall and held his hand out to her.

"I'm Dean Winchester and this is my brother Sam."

"Well hello, Dean. It's nice to meet you. I'm Sally Philips. I'm a friend of your daddy's." she chuckled and shook Dean's hand. "And hello to you, Sam."

Sam slowly looked up and gave a small smile.

"Hello, Miss Philips." he said quietly.

"Oh honey, you can call me Sally." she said and shook his hand then looked back to his father, "John, they are precious. How old are they?"

"Dean is eleven and Sam will be seven in May."

"That's gotta be tough with the work you do." she replied.

"We manage." John replied simply.

Sally's smile was replaced by a serious look and she nodded in understanding.

"Well c'mon inside. You can meet my little girl. She's about Sam's age, just a touch older. We can all have breakfast together."

Both boys perked up at the mention of food and they quickly followed the two adults inside.

When they entered they found themselves in a small foyer with a coat rack and a mat to place dirty shoes. There was an office to the right and a large living room to the left with big couches and a brick fireplace. Ahead of them was a wooden staircase leading to the second level of the house. To the side of the staircase was a hallway leading to the kitchen, dining room, and an exit to the back porch.

As the Winchesters got settled, Sally went to the stairs.

"Lucy, come on down! We've got company!" she shouted.

"Coming, Momma!" a small voice called back.

Soon they heard quick footsteps and were then joined by a little girl in a light blue nightgown with bare feet.

She was slightly taller than Sam and had hair that was a golden, honey color and was down to the middle of her back. She had cream colored skin, petite nose, and a tiny cupid's bow mouth. However, the most startling feature about her was her eyes.

They were an unnaturally bright blue, almost cerulean color. Sam was caught by those eyes and something else that he couldn't put his finger on. It was like she had this calming aura about her.

Sam was so moved by her appearance that he soon had tears running down his face.

"Sammy, you ok?" Dean asked, a little confused by his brother's reaction.

Sam shook his head as if coming out of a reverie and wiped his face. "Yeah I'm ok."

Lucy looked at him curiously for a moment then followed her mother into the kitchen.

After breakfast, Lucy pulled the boys outside to look at the horses while John and Sally stayed inside to talk.

"How's the hunting going, John?" Sally asked as she poured them both more coffee.

"Well enough. Still haven't caught that damn demon yet."

"You will. Demons are tricky buggers though. It's gonna take time." she reassured him.

"Yeah." John sighed and took a healthy swallow of coffee. "What about you, Sally? How's "retired" life? I didn't know you had a kid."

"Ha! It's good. Don't have to worry about the horses trying to rip out your innards. As for Lucy, technically she's not mine. She's my sister's. Emma died giving birth to her."

"I'm sorry. Where's her father?"

Sally shrugged and took a sip of her coffee, "Don't know. He vanished after Emma became pregnant. He said it wasn't safe for him to stay and then he was gone."

"Was he human?"

If Sally had been any other person she would have laughed at the absurd question. Unfortunately, she and John had seen too much in their line of work where that question was actually quite reasonable.

"Don't know. Never was around to test him. I don't think he was a monster though. The things Lucy can do, it doesn't _feel_ evil."

"What do you mean 'the things she can do'? What can she do, Sally?" John asked, slightly alarmed.

Before Sally could respond, loud splatters could be heard from the front of the house. They were followed by the sounds of breaking glass.

Outside, Sam, Dean, and Lucy ran from the closest barn to the front of the house. A group of boys around Dean's age were throwing eggs and empty glass bottles against the house.

One of the boys then spotted Lucy and sneered at her.

"Look! There's the freak! Get her!" he shouted.

Lucy looked apologetically to the Winchesters, "You two should get inside. They don't want you."

"What did you do?" Dean asked, not understanding.

"It's not what I did, but what I am." she answered cryptically. Dean was still confused and a little unnerved by her tone. She sounded more like an adult than a little kid.

The group advanced on them but the Winchesters did not leave. Sam squeezed Lucy's hand and gave her a smile.

"We're not leaving you. You're our friend now." he said. Dean nodded in agreement, inwardly proud of his little brother.

The trio faced the group, ready for anything. Suddenly one of the other boys threw a rock at Lucy. Without thinking, Sam pushed her out of harm's way.

"Hey you kids! Get out of here!" Dean looked and saw his dad and Sally coming down the porch. The little gang was startled by the adults and fled on their bicycles.

"It's going to be ok, Sammy. Dad's coming" Dean said, glad for the appearance of the adults. He looked back to his brother and then froze. Lucy was crying over Sam, who lay on the ground, blood trickling from his head. The rock intended for Lucy had hit Sam in her stead.

"I'm sorry, Dean!" she cried, "It's my fault!"

Dean quickly took off his flannel shirt and pressed it to Sam's head. With his other hand he supported Sam's neck just like his dad had showed him. Lucy wiped her tears away and her face suddenly became stern.

"Dean, Sam saved me and now I need to save him." she said seriously. Once again, Dean was unnerved by how old she sounded.

"What do you mean? Dad and Sally can help him."

"No, I have to do this. I'm responsible."

With that, Lucy moved closer to Sam and took off the blood-soaked shirt from his head. She then closed her eyes and placed her hands on the wound.

Dean looked on in amazement as a soft white light emanated from beneath her hands. A few minutes later the light was gone. Lucy then took her hands away from Sam's head and the wound was healed.

A few yards away, two men, invisible to the trio, watched the scene unfold. One man was young and had rich, black skin and close-cropped hair and was dressed in a well-tailored suit and dress shoes. The other man was also black but was older with weathered skin and graying hair. He was dressed in cargo pants, a worn flannel shirt, and work boots.

"What are you doing here, Uriel?" the older man asked.

"That child is a threat. She should not be allowed to live." the younger replied.

"That is not your decision to make." the older man answered calmly.

"She should not have been allowed to be born! Her kind are a danger, a ticking time bomb! She cannot live, Joshua!" Uriel shouted angrily. Still Joshua remained calm and only smiled.

"This one is special. _He_ has seen it and says that one day she will be needed. We must leave her be."

Uriel snorted in disgust and faced Joshua. "What do you know, Gardener?" he spat venomously, "I am the specialist and I say that she must be dealt with immediately."

Joshua was still calm but his face became serious, almost angry.

"Do not threaten me, 'Specialist'" he replied as if that title had no meaning, "I know what _He_ wants and _He_ wants you to leave that little girl alone. She is special. If you do not, I will mete out _His_ punishment."

With that, Joshua vanished and Uriel was left alone. The lone angel was not happy with this decision but he would do as Joshua commanded. He would not interfere, but he would keep a very close eye on this strange girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Warehouse- Present Day

"Bow down and profess your love or you will be destroyed."

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing. He was looking at Castiel, his friend, but what he heard was the talk of a madman.

"Cas, please!" he begged, "You said you had no family but that's not true. We're your family! Family helps one another. What you're saying isn't you!"

"I am beyond you, Dean. But as a token of good faith, I grant you a gift." Castiel replied, tone even and cold.

He reached behind himself and placed two fingers on Sam's forehead. Sam's eyes suddenly closed and he fell forward. Dean pushed past Castiel to catch his brother.

"Sam!" he cried then looked angrily at the changed angel, "What did you do?"

"I have begun to heal your brother. His mind is repairing after his time in the cage. Now that I have done this, you must swear your loyalty and love to me, your god." Again, Castiel's tone was cold.

Dean clenched his teeth in frustration and looked with pleading eyes to Bobby. What could they do now to get out of this mess?

Bobby could only shrug in reply, his face a mirror of Dean's frustration.

"What say you?" Castiel repeated, "My patience is not infinite."

Dean cradled his brother and took a deep breath. He was about to reply when suddenly he found himself standing alone in a meadow. He turned around panicked.

"Sam! Bobby!" he called out, not understanding this new turn of events. Where was he?

"Hello, Dean." a voice greeted him pleasantly. Dean turned and saw a man. He was older and wore faded jeans and a worn, red flannel shirt. His skin was dark and weathered. Dean had met him before.

"Joshua. Am I dead?"

The angel chuckled and approached the bewildered young man.

"No, Dean Winchester, you are not dead. I pulled you away from Castiel because I wish to speak with you."

"Isn't Cas going to find us? I mean, he is God now." Dean replied, "And where's my brother and Bobby?"

"They are safe and Castiel will not find us. He may be god-like but he is not God. The true God is still out in the world." Heaven's gardener answered.

"Then why the hell doesn't he do anything?" Dean cried out angrily, "He could stop Cas in a heartbeat! But no! Our friend is now a power-mad, nutjob!"

"For the same reason he did not interfere with the apocalypse and why you fought so hard against Zachariah: free will. Humanity has the ability to save itself from God's wayward child. Castiel chose wrong in his quest to bring peace to Heaven and now you can save him." Joshua explained calmly.

Dean snorted derisively and ran a hand through his hair.

"Great. And how can we do that? Click our heels together and wish it was over? Forget it; God can clean up his own mess!"

Joshua remained peaceful during Dean's tirade. Once Dean calmed a bit, Joshua continued.

"Technically, it's your mess, Dean. You and Castiel averted the apocalypse. How you picked up the pieces was up to you. Castiel chose poorly by dealing with Crowley and Purgatory. Now it is up to you to save him, and in turn, the world."

"How? He's all-powerful and he'd kill us before we lifted a finger."

There is someone who can help you. I will take you to her. All you must do is keep her safe." Joshua explained patiently.

"That's it? You can't give me anything else to work with?"

Joshua smiled and shook his head.

"You've worked with less." With that, the Gardener placed two fingers on Dean's forehead and then Dean vanished from the field

Suddenly Dean was back in the Impala, the newly-restored Impala. He was driving, Sam was passed out in the backseat, and Bobby was in the front passenger seat.

"What the hell just happened, boy?" the old hunter asked gruffly.

"We got pulled out as far as I can tell. Where are we?" Dean replied, not wanting to go into his meeting with Joshua. Bobby shrugged. It was night and all they could see was that they were on a country road.

They were silent for awhile, content for the moment to not be facing sudden doom. Soon Dean noticed specks of light in the distance. As they drove closer, Dean could see that the light was coming from a house.

"Pull over and find out where we are." Bobby said and Dean nodded in agreement. In the backseat they could hear Sam groan.

"Looks like your brother is waking up. After what Cas did, Sam should rest. Maybe these folks can put us up for the night." Bobby added.

"Yeah, we'll see." Dean answered as he pulled up to the house. For some reason, as he drove up, Dean had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. He shrugged it off and put the car in park.

"Keep an eye on Sammy. I'll go ahead and see if anyone can help us."

Bobby agreed and turned in his seat so he had a better view of Sam. Dean slowly approached the house, occasionally looking around for potential threats. He hoped that they had truly found a safe house. They all needed rest and food. A beer sounded good too.

Dean slowly ascended the porch steps then knocked on the door. A couple minutes later it opened and he was greeted by a woman. She appeared middle-aged with wisps of gray through her brown hair and wrinkles at her eyes and corners of her mouth. Her eyes were alert though and she stood as though she was braced for a fight.

"Can I help you, young man?" she asked warily, a slight twang in her voice. Dean guessed that they were somewhere down south. The woman also seemed familiar.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to put my friends and me up for the night. We've been traveling for awhile and had a rough day." he said politely.

"You can go up ahead to town. There are plenty of places to stay there." she replied and started to shut the door.

"Please ma'am, wait!" he said quickly and stopped the door with his hand, "We won't be any trouble. You can have us sleep outside if you like. All we ask for is food and a place to wash up."

The woman paused, eyeing Dean curiously. She seemed to be studying Dean's face intently.

"You got a name, young man?" she asked, still serious.

"Yes ma'am. Dean Winchester." he answered, still being very polite. Dean was getting annoyed but he stayed civil. He was surprised when the woman's eyes lit up and a big smile spread across her face. It was the most welcoming sight he had seen all day.

"My goodness! Dean Winchester! It's been ages! Come in, come in." she said excitedly and ushered him in. A wave of relief washed over Dean as well as the growing feeling of déjà vu.

"Not to seem strange, ma'am but I've gotta ask. We've met before haven't we?" The woman smiled and nodded.

"We have. You were a little boy back then. After what happened, I told you daddy not to come back. It wasn't safe for you boys." she explained. Suddenly Dean realized where he was and why everything was so familiar.

"You're Sally Philips! We visited you when I was eleven. Sam got hurt on that trip."

Sally nodded, "Yup. We can talk about that later. Let's get you boys settled."

Dean called Bobby to let him know it was safe to come in while Sally started pulling out plates and flatware.

A few minutes later, Bobby entered with an unsteady Sam leaning on him for support.

"Sammy, you ok? You don't look so good." Dean asked, helping his brother to a seat in the dining room. Sam nodded weakly and gazed hopefully at the pots on the stove in the nearby kitchen.

"Some food would be nice though." he replied, voice no louder than a hoarse whisper.

"Don't worry, darlin'. We'll get you fixed up in no time." Sally smiled warmly then turned to Bobby.

"Long time no see, Bobby Singer."

"Hello, Sally." he answered, pleasantly surprised. Dean looked between the two of them.

"You two know each other?"

"Oh yeah! Sally was a hunter. She specialized in were-creatures. I guess you could say she's retired now." Bobby explained.

"Yeah, leg never healed quite right after that hunt in Florida." Sally added. She limped over to the table with plates loaded with steaming food. No sooner had the plates been set down, the three men fell upon them and ate ravenously.

Nothing like a near-death experience to stimulate an appetite.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After they ate their fill of dinner, Sally brought out chocolate cake with whipped cream for dessert. Dean couldn't remember the last time they had eaten so well. Once they finished they all retired to the living room.

Dean and Bobby sat on the couch, Sally sat in a rocking chair, and Sam collapsed into an overstuffed armchair.

"You ok, Sam?" Sally asked, "You look awful."

Sam nodded slowly. "Yeah just a headache." he mumbled.

Sally was about to shrug it off but she noticed the worried looks on Dean and Bobby's faces.

"What the hell have you boys gotten yourselves into?" Before they had the chance to dodge the question she quickly added, "And don't tell me it's nothing! This stinks of a job gone bad."

"It's a long story." Sam answered quietly. Before Sally could press them further, the backdoor opened and slammed shut.

"Mom! Everything ok? There's a car parked out front!" a female voice called. They heard approaching footsteps and were soon joined by a young woman. She was slightly taller than Sally and had a curvy, muscular build made from doing hard work outdoors. This was accented by her manner of dress. She wore cloth shorts and a tank top underneath baggy jean coveralls, streaked with grease and dirt. Her skin was tan and she had an appealing slender face with mouth that formed a slight pout, similar to her mother.

Her most striking features were her long mane of honey-gold hair, which was held back by a tan bandana, and her intense, sharp blue eyes which were now suspiciously examining Dean and his companions.

"Mom, who's this? Are they causing you trouble?" she asked warily, arms crossed in front of her.

"No, honey. These are some old friends. You remember the Winchester boys? And this is their friend Bobby Singer." her mother explained then turned back to her guests, "Boys, this is my daughter Lucy."

They all shook hands, except Sam, who by this point had closed his eyes and began rubbing his temples.

"Sammy, you ok?" Dean asked, worry edging his voice.

"My head." Sam whispered, still clutching the sides of his head.

"Dean, maybe we should take him to a hospital." Bobby offered, not liking how things were going. Dean turned to Bobby, frustration clear on his face.

"And tell them what?" he hissed quietly, "That he's got some bad mental juju going on?"

Sally caught what Dean said and looked to Lucy, concern etched on her face. She nodded subtly in Sam's direction, still looking at her daughter. Lucy sighed resignedly, knowing what her mother was asking of her. She took a deep breath then looked to Dean and Bobby.

"Maybe I can help." she said, stepping forward.

"And do what?" Bobby asked suspiciously. But Dean only gave her a curious look, no malice or suspicion.

"You just have to trust me." she replied cryptically. Bobby was about to go to her as she approached Sam but Dean held him back. She slowly knelt next to Sam and removed his hands from his temples.

"Sam, it's Lucy. I need you to look at me." she said gently.

"Can't. Hurts too much." he replied through gritted teeth.

"Sam, you have to try." Lucy answered, still speaking calmly and gently. Sam turned his head to her and slowly opened his eyes. He was in so much pain that tears streamed down his face. Through the haze of pain and tears, Sam could see brilliant blue eyes, creased in concern. He felt peaceful looking into those eyes. He had seen those eyes before.

"I remember you." he said suddenly, trying to focus on her and not the pain. She smiled warmly at him and gave his hands a soft squeeze.

"I remember you too, Sam." As she spoke, her eyes stared intently into his, as if she was looking for something. After a few minutes she relaxed and smiled again.

"Ok Sam, you can close your eyes. I'm going to fix you now." Sam nodded slowly and reclined in the chair, closing his eyes.

In one hand, she held Sam's hand and the other rested on Sam's forehead. The others quietly watched as the strange young woman worked. Dean barely breathed, fearing that any noise would disturb her and harm his brother. She stayed like that focusing on Sam for almost an hour until finally Lucy removed her hands from Sam and stood.

"I've done all I can. All we can do now is let him sleep." With that she turned and quickly left the room. Dean immediately followed her as Sally and Bobby got up to make Sam more comfortable. Dean found Lucy in the kitchen staring out the window over the sink.

"Who are you really?" Dean asked, "And what did you do to Sam?" Lucy was quiet for a moment then sighed again, resigning herself to talk with Dean.

"Sam has been through hell, quite literally. He was aware of what happened to him but it was so broken, his very essence scarred deeply. Whoever tried to fix him did a half-ass job." she began, still looking out the window, "I just cleaned up the mess."

"So he's still Sam right? How'd you do it?"

"Yes, Sam is fixed and he is still the Sam you knew. Just that his brain is now equipped to handle what happened down there."

Dean nodded in understanding and silently cursing Castiel for screwing with them. But Lucy was still avoiding Dean's main question: How did she fix Sam?

"Lucy, what aren't you telling me?" Dean asked, trying not to be too harsh on her. She did save his brother and Dean didn't want to seem ungrateful.

Lucy was quiet then turned to face the eldest Winchester.

"Remember the last time you were here?"

"Sure. You fixed Sam that time too."

Lucy nodded, "Yeah but what else happened?" Dean thought back, it had been so long ago.

"I remember kids yelling at you, they were so mad. They threw stuff at you and at the house. What's that got to do with this?"

"Everything." she answered softly, "Dean, I'm not normal. People in town know it and that's why people come after us at home."

"Oh come on! You can tell me! We're hunters. We've seen a lot!" he exclaimed, getting impatient. Lucy swallowed hard and hugged herself as if she were cold.

"Dean, I…I'm…a…" Before Lucy could continue, they interrupted by a cough from the hallway. Dean turned to see Sally standing in the doorway.

"Sorry. Lucy, could you go check on Sam. He seems a bit restless." Lucy nodded, grateful for the reprieve and left Dean alone with her mother. Once the young woman was gone, Sally turned back to Dean.

"Dean, I know you don't mean my daughter harm but stop prying. It's for your own good." she said seriously. Dean couldn't decide if it was a warning or a threat.

"Hey she's helped my brother twice now. I'm just trying to figure out how she does it. I'm just trying to understand." he replied exasperated. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

Sally's face softened a little. "Dean I know, but trust me when I tell you that this is one mystery you don't want to solve." The ex-hunter suddenly seemed very old and tired.

"Are you ashamed of her?" he asked suddenly. Sally's lips tightened together and she glared at Dean.

"Now you listen here, boy. I am nothing but proud of my girl. She is beautiful, intelligent, and incredibly gifted but she's had nothing but troubles and grief. I'm just trying to spare you from getting caught up in them. 'Cuz if anything happened to you boys she wouldn't forgive herself. You understand?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good. Now go get some sleep." Sally then turned and head upstairs to bed.

March 26, 1990

Young Lucy Philips looked out the window as the black Impala pulled out of the driveway. The fight had seemed so long ago, although there were still eggshells and dried yolk on the porch. Lucy was sad to see their guests go. She liked the Winchesters, especially Sam. It was good playing with someone her own age. They had defended her too. It had been nice.

Now though, with them gone, Lucy had a terrible feeling. She looked to her mother who was about to take out the trash.

"Momma? Will we ever see the Winchesters again?" Sally stopped and put the garbage bag down. She walked closer to Lucy, her face suddenly so sad.

"No, baby girl. I don't think so." she answered as she gently wiped away strands of hair from her daughter's face. Tears started to well up in the little girl's eyes and her bottom lip trembled.

"Was it my fault, Momma?" she asked, voice quavering, "Is it cuz of what I am?" The tears suddenly spilled down the small cheeks as the little girl began to cry. Sally quickly scooped her up and gave her a big hug, her heart breaking for Lucy.

"No, no baby girl. It's not your fault! It's not your fault!" Sally couldn't stop the little girl from crying though. The former hunter had never felt so powerless in her whole life. _Is this how it's always going to be?_ the older woman wondered sadly.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sam woke from his sleep feeling like a new man. The pain in his head was gone and he was no longer bombarded with memories from Hell. In fact, it seemed like it had all been a bad dream. All he could clearly remember from the previous night was brilliant blue eyes and a feeling of calm.

Sam looked around and saw that he was in someone's living room. There wasn't any sign of his brother or Bobby and no sounds coming from the rest of the house. He rose slowly; relieving the tension in his back from sleeping in the chair, then went to look around.

The rest of the house appeared empty but as Sam entered the kitchen he could hear voices outside. He stepped out through the screen door and onto the long wooden back porch. It was cool outside in the shade provided by the porch overhang. Past the porch was a short walkway that led to one of the fenced in yards. The posts were wooden and inside them the ground was layered with soft dirt to cushion potential falls. The yard was long enough to allow the horses to get up to a good gallop and wide enough to allow them to circle around without risking hitting the posts.

At the moment, Sally and Bobby were standing outside the yard looking in while Dean was inside the yard riding a large chestnut horse with a white band down its snout. Sally was shouting instructions and Dean was doing his best to follow them. Eventually he was able to get his horse to do a steady trot down the field. Bobby and Sally cheered as he went. Sam figured that they must have been working on this for awhile.

"Good morning, Sam." a voice said brightly from off to his side. Sam jumped in surprise at the sound but calmed when he saw a girl sitting in a rocker at the end of the porch. She chuckled and stood to meet him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." she apologized.

"It's ok. I'm just a bit out of it, Miss…?" he dragged out the sentence, fishing for a name. She wasn't offended though and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Lucy Philips. We met last night but you were kinda in a bad way." she answered as they shook hands. Sam looked at her more closely and once again was caught by her blue eyes. Some of last night's events suddenly came back to him.

"Yeah, I remember you." he said. Lucy smiled again and Sam couldn't help but wrap her in a big hug.

"Thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you." Sam whispered in her ear. Lucy was so shocked by Sam's hug that at first she didn't know how to respond. Slowly, almost unsure of herself, she returned the hug.

"You don't have to repay me. I just couldn't let you suffer anymore." she said softly. Sam broke from the hug and held her at arm's length. He studied her concerned face and smiled warmly.

"Thank you." he repeated earnestly. Once again, Lucy returned the smile and Sam found that he really liked seeing it.

"Lucy, I am curious though. How did you do it?" he asked.

"So am I." a voice asked from behind Sam. The younger Winchester turned and blanched when he saw who it was. The man was about as tall as Lucy and was dressed in a well-tailored suit that was in all black. He had a serious face with dark eyes and his black hair was kept short.

"Crowley. How the hell did you find us?" Sam asked warily. He stepped forward keeping Lucy behind him. Crowley chuckled as he too stepped forward.

"Oh Sammy, I've kept an eye on you boys since I escaped from Castiel. I must say, you keep interesting company." the demon said smugly then turned his attention to Lucy. "That was a neat trick, young lady. How did you do it?"

"I don't deal with demons." she answered coldly. Crowley's eyes perked in surprise.

"How could you tell, love?"

"You reek of blood and sulfur." she answered, voice full of disgust. Now it was Sam's turn to be surprised. He couldn't smell anything coming from Crowley.

"Sam!" Dean's voice called suddenly. Sam and Lucy looked and saw Dean, Bobby, and Sally, hurrying to meet them on the porch. Dean pulled his handgun and leveled it at Crowley.

"Oh Dean, you know that won't kill me." Crowley said, more amused than angry.

"True, but it will hurt like a son of a bitch." he replied, deadly serious.

"Leave now, demon, or I'll make you leave." Lucy promised as she stepped out from behind Sam.

"Girl, you've got nothing on me." Crowley said, still arrogant. No sooner had he finished his statement, Lucy was already moving. In the blink of an eye, Lucy had closed the distance between herself and the demon and had him pinned against the house.

"You were saying?" she replied coldly. Before Crowley could respond, Lucy began chanting and placed her hand on the stunned demon's forehead. Sam, Dean, and the others could barely hear her but to the Winchesters, it sounded vaguely familiar.

As Lucy continued her chant, the demon's eyes grew wide with fear. Before the strange young woman could finish, Crowley vanished from the place. Lucy frowned in disappointment then turned back to the others.

"Girl, what was that?" Bobby asked, waving his hand in reference to what had just happened.

"Lucy, you don't need to answer that." Sally replied anxiously. Lucy turned back to her mother and shook her head slowly.

"No Mom, no more hiding. The demons know now and now no one is safe. They need to know." her daughter replied. She looked at Sam then headed into the house. Sam thought she looked incredibly sad as she left them. Sally sighed and looked to Bobby and the Winchesters.

"Go on in. I'll grab some food for us and then we can get this over with." she said unhappily and led them back inside.

Soon after, they were all back in the living room, a tray of sandwiches and a pitcher of iced tea sat untouched on the coffee table between them. Silence engulfed them and minutes felt like hours. It seemed like no one wanted to speak.

Sam noticed that Lucy still had a miserable look on her face. She was probably dreading this. He found himself wishing that he could comfort her. He knew what it was like to be different from the normal people.

Finally Sally broke the silence with a cough and then began to speak.

"I am not Lucy's real mother. Her biological mother was actually my sister and she died giving birth to Lucy. I took her in soon after." She stopped for a moment and poured herself a glass of tea. Clearly, Sally was dreading this talk as well. She took a drink then started again.

"Lucy's dad never came for her and initially everyone didn't think anything of it and thought that she was a normal, healthy baby. Then as she got older she started hearing voices and drawing strange symbols. She could even move things with her mind and scared a few kids at school. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't ask help from other hunters. They'd rather kill first, ask questions later."

Sally paused and took another hurried drink. Lucy put a comforting hand on her mother's leg and picked up where her mother had left off.

"This continued for some time and neither of us could explain what was causing this. After the visit where Sam got hurt, we were visited by a man. He said his name was Uriel." Sam and Dean both tensed when they heard that name. They didn't like where this story was going if that dead angel had been involved.

"He said that I was a nephilim. In his eyes, I was an abomination and he made it clear that he would kill me if he could get the chance. He said that if I didn't do as I was told, he would do it. Since then I've laid low and done my best not to use my abilities unless I really needed to." she said, looking pointedly at Sam on the last part.

Both Winchester boys didn't know quite how to react to Lucy's story but they could see that Bobby was visibly troubled.

"Bobby, what is it?" Dean asked.

"Didn't you hear what the girl said?" the older hunter said irritably.

"Yeah, so? What does it mean?"

Bobby looked at Lucy and she nodded for him to answer Dean.

"A nephilim is a person who is half-human and half-angel. They're mentioned in the bible and in other religious texts. They're a helluva lot more powerful than that half-demon you found and they're not supposed to exist." he explained. Sam and Dean looked from Lucy to Bobby in shock.

"Why not?" Dean asked worriedly, "Why aren't they supposed to exist?"

"Because we're unstable." Lucy answered quietly, "So much divine energy cannot remain infused within mortal tissue. All recorded nephilim eventually went mad from all that power."

"Wait. Then how can angels keep vessels? Wouldn't they burn out?" Sam asked.

"It started as a controlled experiment. Nephilim were bred to create vessels for angels. Once they were old enough to reproduce, they bred children and then were killed before madness took them. Not using their abilities apparently delayed the inevitable. The angelic line was then diluted over the centuries and you then have a suitable vessel. Once enough vessels were produced, the experiment stopped and further interaction was forbidden. It was just too risky." Lucy explained. She was still quiet and her eyes were focused on the table, unable to look at anyone.

"Before we lost contact with Uriel a couple years ago, he said that Lucy was the longest-lived nephilim. It could also mean that she would be the most powerful. It hasn't been easy around here." Sally added.

Suddenly Dean thought back to his conversation with Joshua.

_There is someone who can help you. All you must do is keep her safe._ Joshua had said 'her' and Dean then had an epiphany.

"Lucy, I think I know why Uriel looked after you for so long and why we're here now." Dean said then slowly added, "And if I'm right then you're in danger."

Lucy looked up quickly alarmed.

"Why? What's going on? Dean, tell me everything." she said urgently. Now it was Dean's turn to sigh and he grabbed a sandwich from the table and took a bite. Explaining everything was going to be difficult. And if Dean was right, they would soon run out of time and the fight would come to them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Dean was eating another sandwich as Bobby and Sally sipped some more tea. He had just finished explaining to them why they had been sent to Lucy. Lucy hadn't taken it very well.

The young woman didn't yell or throw a fit though, which Dean appreciated. She had simply stood up and left the house.

"Please tell me she didn't just vanish and now we have to go look for her?" Dean asked, "Cuz we don't have time for that."

"No, she most likely went out back to her workshop. It's in the second barn. She goes out there to clear her head." Sally answered. Once again, she looked tired and worn out.

"I'll go talk to her." Sam volunteered and stood to leave.

"She probably won't let you in." Sally warned him. Sam smirked and shrugged.

"Gotta try. Like Dean said, we don't have time to wait around." That said, the younger Winchester went out back and walked to Lucy's workshop. He looked around warily for potential unseen enemies which made the walk feel longer than it looked. Crowley's unexpected appearance had spooked them all.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the barn without any difficulty. Apparently, Lucy had scared Crowley enough that he wasn't going to attack again any time soon.

From inside the barn, Sam could hear music playing, confirming Sally's suspicions that Lucy was here. He knocked on the door and listened for a reply but heard nothing. He slowly pulled open the door and quickly entered, shutting the door as he went.

Inside, the first thing that caught his attention was how much stuff fit in the large barn. To Sam's left, the area looked like a garage. Tools were arranged hanging from a wall and on a workbench were car parts and smaller tools. There were also assorted bottles of oil and other car liquids. Lucy even had a basic lift so she could work underneath a car. A little further back on that side was a car but it was under a protective cover so Sam couldn't tell what it was.

On Sam's right were more tools, mostly for wood-working and other types of projects. There were also a couple large, rolling tool cabinets. Further back there was a stairway that led up to a small landing area where there seemed to be a small office. Underneath the stairway was a door leading out behind the barn.

In the center of the barn were multiple workbenches littered with half-finished projects and pages of plans. Lucy was sitting at one of these benches, looking intently at a dissected stereo under a large table magnifying glass.

"Didn't say you could come in." she said, not looking up from her work.

"Didn't say I couldn't either." Sam replied confidently. He was just hoping she didn't toss him out.

"Smart-ass." she answered and Sam could see a grin playing at her lips. He took that as his cue to come further inside the shop. He leaned against the workbench where she was working, careful not to disturb her work.

"So what are you working on?" he asked curiously. Lucy continued to work but was happy to answer.

"Fixing Mom's radio. For some reason it's only picking up one station and one speaker keeps crapping out so I'm taking a look at it. It's a good little radio, no need to buy a new one." she explained.

"How'd you get into all this?" Sam asked, waving an arm to encompass the whole workshop.

"I get bored easily. My mind is always moving a mile a minute. When I was eight I had started tinkering with things around the house. When Mom realized that I was actually improving the items, she decided to convert a barn into a workshop. Kept me out of trouble. You know, idle hands and whatnot." she answered, still working.

"Wow. Cool." Sam answered, very impressed. He then noticed a covered rack along the back wall.

"What's that?" Sam asked and pointed. Lucy looked to where Sam had pointed and grinned.

"I also dabble in sword-making. I've got a forge out back." she said as she went back to her work. Sam's jaw dropped open in disbelief. Lucy noticed and smirked. She put down her tools and led him over to the covered area. She pulled off the dusty cover and Sam's eyes widened at the assortment of blades before him. Longer medieval-style swords were on the left side of the rack and then there were Roman-style short swords and rapiers on the other end. Sam even saw an assortment of throwing daggers. He also noticed that each blade had angelic symbols etched into the metal.

"This is incredible! When did you start doing this?" Sam asked as he inspected each sword.

"Well, it started when Uriel gave me this." the talented nephilim said and pulled out an actual angel sword from behind the rack. Sam had seen one multiple times and had even handled one.

"He said, and I quote, 'I can't always be around to protect your worthless ass so you better learn to protect yourself.' So I learned how to use it and I hated it. The balance is crap, blocky hilt, just plain awful. So I started making my own." she explained, secretly enjoying Sam's interest in her work. "Personally, my favorite is this one." She hung up the angel sword and picked up a kitana. It was encased in a gray sheath and had gray banding on the hilt. Lucy unsheathed it and held it before Sam.

"This is the only kitana I've ever made. The process is just so intense and I ended up being so pleased with this one I couldn't make anymore."

"And you know how to properly use all of these?" Sam asked incredulously. Lucy nodded and Sam's eyes grew even wider as he continued to marvel at her work. He couldn't believe that she had done all of this.

Once Lucy was done showing Sam the swords, Lucy showed him the rest of the shop. He also learned that the car Lucy was working on was a cerulean blue 1972 Chevy Corvette. She called it "her baby" and Sam saw that she gave it as much care as Dean gave the Impala.

"Lucy, this is just incredible. How did you manage to do all of this?" Sam asked as he helped replace the cover onto the Corvette.

"I do odd jobs around town and the pay is decent. As for time, well, nobody really wants to hand out with a freak." she answered, trying and failing to keep the bitterness from her voice.

"Then why stay here? Why not leave?"

"I did once. I went to college, even made some friends." she said, leaning back on a workbench as she talked, "But I lost control of my abilities a couple times, scared people. After graduation I just came home and helped Mom."

Lucy looked up and when she saw the look on Sam's face, she scowled.

"Don't pity me. If there's anything I can't stand, it's pity. You asked a question so I answered. Don't pity me." she scolded.

"Sorry." Sam apologized sheepishly. He wanted to deny what she said but deep down he knew she was right. He pitied her. Sam always thought that he had it bad with the whole demon blood problem but this was something completely different. Pity wasn't going to fix it though.

"Why don't you come with us? It'll get you away from here. A fresh start." Sam suggested suddenly. Lucy gave him an annoyed look.

"You're just saying that so I can help you with your crazed angel problem." she snapped out.

"No, it's not just that." Sam replied honestly, "You're a good person and ridiculously talented. You deserve to have some kind of life. Not just staying holed up here. And you could help a lot of people."

Lucy's face softened a little at Sam's words but then it hardened again in an instant.

"And what if I lose control again? You and Dean could die!" she exclaimed. Sam chuckled which surprised Lucy.

"Lucy, we're hunters. We risk death with every job we take. Besides, you're not a job; you're a friend, so the risk is well worth it." Sam said, then his face became serious and he stepped closer to Lucy. "Besides, you've saved my life twice now. I know you said that I don't owe you anything, but I do. I'll do whatever I can to repay you." he added softly.

By now, the two of them were only inches apart. Their eyes locked and for a moment neither of them spoke. It seemed like there was a current buzzing between them. Finally Lucy cleared her throat and stepped back.

"We should get inside. We need to plan out what we're going to do next. The demons might come back." she said quickly.

"Yeah you're right." he agreed. Lucy turned and quickly left ahead of Sam. Sam took a steadying breath and ran a hand through his unruly hair. Where had that come from? Was he attracted to Lucy? So many questions were running through his mind.

First thing was first though, they had to deal with Crowley and make sure that Sally and Lucy would be safe. Once that was done, Sam could start trying to answer his other questions. Sam took another steadying breath then headed back into the house.

On the other side of town, there was an abandoned farm. There Crowley hid after his failed attack on the Winchesters and their new friends. He cursed himself for his laziness and outright arrogance in approaching his adversaries. He knew the Winchesters were resourceful and therefore, he should have known that they would find powerful friends.

Crowley roared in frustration and punched a hole in the wall nearest to him. A few of his demonic minions cowered and tried not to catch his attention. The new Lord of Hell was known to immolate minions when he was in a rage.

After a few minutes and a few more broken walls later, Crowley calmed and looked at his nearest follower.

"Bring me holy oil. I don't care where you have to go, just get it." he ordered, "We're going to have company coming."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next few days at the Philips home consisted of gathering weapons, stockpiling ammunition, and preparing escape plans. Lucy also took time to place wards in every section of the house and inside her workshop. Dean was surprised to see that she was using red paint for the job.

"Don't you need blood for that stuff?" he asked curiously as she working in the living room.

"Ha! I'd drain myself dry doing it that way. Don't get me wrong, there is blood in here. You need blood from the caster, of course, but for big jobs like this you can have a symbolic medium. In this case, red paint." she said, pointing to the paint bucket, "Little trick angels don't like to share."

She winked at Dean and went back to painting. Dean sat next to her and studied each symbol.

"So what does all this mean?" he asked, "I only know the one for expelling angels."

"All these symbols are in a chain and when invoked, they prevent entry by demons or any other unwanted presence." she replied as she carefully finished another symbol.

"Cool." Dean then sat back and remained quiet. Lucy stopped painting and looked at Dean.

"Can I help you with something, Dean? You're just sitting there."

Dean sat up and got a big grin on his face.

"Now that you mention it, yes there is. Sam says you have a whole rack of swords in your workshop. Can I go see them?" he asked, excited like a child. Lucy smirked and carefully sat down her paintbrush.

"Yes, Dean. You can even pick out one that you want to keep." she said, enjoying his excitement.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I can always make more."

Without another word, Dean raced off to Lucy's workshop. Lucy only shook her head and chuckled to herself. These Winchesters were interesting individuals. A half hour later Dean was back with a Roman short sword in hand and a look of awe on his face.

"Those are so awesome, Lucy! But more importantly, where did you get a 1972 Corvette? It's in fantastic condition!" he gushed. Lucy looked up from her painting and grinned.

"I built it."

Dean's jaw dropped open, making Lucy laugh. He then carefully set his new sword on the couch, knelt next to Lucy, and hugged her.

"You are so freaking fantastic! Weapons expert and car enthusiast, I love it!" Lucy patted his arm, careful not to get paint on him.

"Thanks, Dean." she paused then added, "You're not driving my car, Winchester."

"Damn."

Later, when Lucy was done painting she went to go check on her mom in the upstairs library. This one was for books that weren't for normal company's eyes. She and Bobby were busy going through Sally's old texts seeing if they could find anything useful.

"How's it going, Mom?"

"Good. I forgot I had all this stuff." her mom answered, arms full of leather-bound tomes.

"Some of these I don't even have." Bobby added, clearly impressed.

"Oh, Lucy! Could you run to town and pick up a few things? The list is in my back pocket." Sally said, spinning around. Lucy saw the piece of paper and quickly grabbed it. She looked it over and saw a few food items but most of it was comprised of weapon materials.

"Not a problem. I'll take one of the guys with me." she replied.

"Ok. Take the truck and be careful!"

"Yes, Momma. See you in a bit. Bye, Bobby!"

"Later, kid."

Lucy headed back downstairs and literally ran into Sam. Lucy stumbled backwards on the steps and almost fell but Sam quickly caught her.

"I'm sorry! Are you ok?" he apologized as he helped her up.

"Yeah, no problem." she replied.

"That's good." he said lamely.

Lucy then realized that Sam was still holding her, one arm on her shoulder and the other around her waist, making her blush.

"Uh, Sam, I think I'm ok now." Lucy said, trying not to be rude.

"Oh right!" he quickly let go and even backed up a little.

_Geez, we're like awkward middle-schoolers!_ Lucy thought to herself.

"So, Sam, I have to run into town. You wanna come with?" she asked, trying to seem nonchalant about the whole thing.

"Yeah! Sure! That would be great!" Sam replied, seeming a bit overexcited.

"You ok?" Lucy gave him a concerned look.

"Yeah, sorry. Just a little out of it with all the work we're doing." he lied.

"Ok, well meet me out front. I've gotta bring around Mom's truck." she said and hurried through the kitchen to the back door. Sam exhaled a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and rubbed his hands over his face.

_I'm such an idiot!_ he thought and went to find his brother. Dean was in the living room, slowly swinging around his new sword.

"Ok this has bad idea written all over it." Sam observed, startling his brother.

"And it's not a good idea to sneak up on people using swords." Dean retorted annoyed.

"Fair enough. Hey, Lucy and I are going on a run into town. We'll be back in a bit." Sam replied. Dean's eyes lit up and he put his sword down.

"Hey, let me come with you. I've got a taste for pie."

"You always have a taste for pie." Sam shot back, not really wanting his brother to come with them.

"What can I say? It's a curse. C'mon."

"No, you can stay here. I'll get the pie." Sam said, pushing him back. Dean was still oblivious to Sam's intentions.

"Uh-uh! You always forget the pie. I'm coming too." Dean grabbed his jacket and headed out. Sam rolled his eyes and followed his brother.

Lucy was waiting for them in a black, two-door pick-up truck. Dean offered to sit in the bed of the truck while Sam sat shot-gun in the cab with Lucy. The drive wasn't bad and Dean took the opportunity to stretch out and enjoy the warm sun in his face and wind in his hair. Despite the looming threat, Dean took the time to enjoy the quiet moment.

He enjoyed the sight of the rolling green fields. If he lived long enough to retire, he would want to move out here or some place like it. Dean smiled at the thought and leaned his head back to bask in the sunshine.

Inside the cab, Lucy had rolled down the windows and that same breeze blew in whipping their hair about. Neither of them spoke but Sam occasionally snuck glances at Lucy. The wind had pulled strands of her hair loose from her ponytail and the golden strands were flying around her tanned face. He fought the urge to tuck the errant strands behind her ear.

The mere sight of her seemed to taunt him. Even in the dim light of the car he could easily see the bright blue of her eyes and how her brow creased and lips pursed when she concentrated. She was beautiful.

A soft knock on the back window broke Sam's train of thought and he looked back to see that Dean had noticed what Sam was doing and was making kissy faces and then laughing at him. Sam subtly rested his head on his right hand and flipped off his brother, which only made Dean laugh harder. Sam sighed and turned his attention back to the road.

Soon they were in town and Sam noticed that amid some of the newer buildings there were still rows of buildings that retained some of the original architecture. It gave the town that refined, historical feeling. They drove for a bit until they reached what looked like a family-owned hardware store.

"We'll stop here first and then head over to pick up the pie." Lucy instructed as the Winchesters met her outside the truck. "Sound good?"

Both men nodded with Dean adding "As long as I get my pie, I'll be happy."

Lucy chuckled and led them inside the long brick building. The store had a pretty typical set-up and along the front right wall was the checkout counter sporting random goodies that people usually picked up on impulse rather than actual need.

Behind the counter reading a car magazine was an older gentleman, probably fifty to sixty years old. He looked up when he heard them enter and smiled when he saw Lucy.

"Hello, Lucy! How are you?" the older man asked jovially. Lucy returned the smile and pulled out her list.

"I'm doing just fine, Mr. Robertson. Just picking up a few items for Momma." she replied, handing him the list. As the two had their small-talk, Sam and Dean noticed two store attendants glaring from the end of one of the aisles. They didn't bother looking at Sam and Dean rather focusing their displeasure only on Lucy. They were soon brought out of their observations by Mr. Robertson.

"Well, I think I've got all this in stock. I'd appreciate it if one of you boys could come back with me and help gather everything." he said kindly. Sam raised his hand to volunteer and soon the two were off. Lucy and Dean watched them go, stopping only to tell one of the attendants to mind the register.

The one who came was a big guy, almost Sam's height and built like a football player on defensive line. His red polo shirt underneath his work apron seemed ready to bust from his obscenely huge muscles.

"Oh great." Lucy grumbled, "Why did it have to be him?"

"Who is that?" Dean whispered.

"Trey Robertson, owner's son. Went to school with him." Lucy mumbled quickly as the big man approached the register.

"Hello, Trey." Lucy said casually, though Dean could tell she was only speaking to be nice.

"Hello, Lucy." the big man responded, eyes and face expressionless and lacking the warmth that his father had shown them.

"Didn't think the store manager would have to come watch the register." she quipped, attempting to make conversation and break the obvious tension.

"Well, I only do it when shady characters are about." the big man said, "Don't know what could happen with those freaks about." He made sure to put added emphasis on 'freaks' when he looked at Lucy. Dean saw Lucy stiffen, as if Trey's words opened old wounds. He grew even angrier when he saw Trey smirk smugly at her discomfort.

"Hey! What the hell…" Dean was starting to yell at the idiot when he felt a hand on his. He looked to see Lucy giving him a pleading look and subtly shaking her head. That made Trey's smirk even bigger and Dean fought the urge to break the jerk's nose.

When Sam and Mr. Robertson returned with their items, they could tell from the others' looks that something had transpired while they had been gone. Mr. Robertson glared at his son, who he knew was the source of the trouble, and spoke to Lucy.

"Here you go, Lucy. I'll just go put this on your mom's tab."

Trey looked at his father in shock, his smug look wiped clean from his face. Underneath the register was a sign that read specifically that all orders must be paid at time of purchase.

Lucy smiled in appreciation to Mr. Robertson and she helped him bag the items.

"Thank you, sir. We really appreciate it." she said warmly.

"Not a problem, dear. Receipt is in one of the bags. Just have your mom come by when she's ready to pay." the kind, old man replied. The trio nodded and waved before they left. Once outside they could see Mr. Robertson berating his son for his terrible behavior. The younger man only fumed in silence.

"What's his deal?" Dean asked as they loaded the truck.

"He's always had it in for me because I got him kicked off the football team in high school. He then tried attacking me in retaliation and I kinda overdid it when I defended myself." Lucy explained.

"How'd you get him off the team?"

"Doping. He reeked of the stuff."

"What are you? A bloodhound?" Dean joked.

"Yes, Dean. I'm an angelic bloodhound." Lucy replied sarcastically. Dean grinned, glad that she could joke about it, and hopped back into the truck bed.

"So you embarrassed him by getting him kicked off the team and then further embarrassed him by kicking his ass." Dean summarized.

"Yup. Pretty much." Lucy answered, "People don't tend to forgive and forget in this town."

"So how come his dad is so nice to you?" Sam asked.

"Mom helped him out a lot after Mrs. Robertson died from cancer. Then I saved his life a few years ago." she answered again. Sam nodded, finishing with the last of the bags.

"Ok well all this depressing crap has made me want pie even more. Let's go!" Dean replied. Lucy smiled, welcoming the distraction and got back into the truck.

They headed down a few blocks and pulled up to a diner called Annie's. It was a plain white building and the sign was done in sky blue. It even had large glass windows for people to look outside as they ate. Dean could already smell the fantastic odors that were wafting out from the establishment and it made his mouth water.

He jumped out of the back and waited impatiently for Lucy and Sam to catch up to him.

"So what's good here?" Dean asked as they entered. Already he could tell that people were staring at them and he didn't want it to bother Lucy.

"Uh, the apple pie is pretty good. Blueberry is delicious and it has a crumbly topping too. And…" she trailed off looking over the available options on the posted menu. Her eyes lit up after a few moments. "The French Silk is pretty fantastic!"

Dean nodded approvingly and went to order. Lucy was surprised when he ordered all three.

"He really likes pie." Sam whispered to her.

"Guess so."

Lucy watched amused as Dean waited excitedly as their order was being boxed. She didn't even notice when someone approached her from the side.

"We'd appreciate it if you and your friends didn't stay here." a server said nervously, eyes darting around to the irritated customers. Lucy and Sam looked to the older woman, Sam incredulous and Lucy with resigned sadness.

"Why?" Sam asked, "What did she do?" His anger rose as the flustered woman just weakly motioned around the diner. Just like with Dean at the hardware store, Lucy put a calming hand on Sam's arm.

"Sam, don't. It'll just make things worse." she whispered. Sam saw the pleading look on her face and immediately softened. Dean joined them soon after, pie boxes in a plastic bag. He nodded to his brother and Lucy and they headed out. Before he exited he looked back to the diners who were obviously and intently watching the trio leave.

"Have a nice day." he said smiling, "And may people treat you like crap for all your differences." That said, he headed outside and got in the truck.

Back at the hardware store, Trey Robertson watched angrily as the black pick-up truck pulled out of the diner lot. He hated Lucy Philips with a passion and wished he had a way to get her back for what she did to him. In his mind, he was a nobody because of her.

"Don't like her much do you?" a sultry voice asked suddenly. Trey spun around and his jaw dropped when he saw the speaker. She was a busty young woman with raven-black hair that hung in loose curls. She wore black leather pants and a ridiculously tight black tank top. Not exactly the normal customer at the store.

She smiled at him, clearly amused at his behavior, and winked one of her luminous brown eyes.

"Can…can I help you ma'am…I mean, miss?" he stuttered.

"No, but I think I can help you." she purred, "How would you like to get back at that Philips girl and her friends?"

Trey was confused but he smiled at the woman's offer.

"What do I have to do?" he asked stupidly. The demon was amazed at how easy this was going. She had trapped stupid men before but this guy took the cake.

"Just follow me, sweetie." she whispered and turned to leave. Trey was so enamored of her and her offer, he simply followed the sexy stranger. He didn't even notice the broken bodies of his co-worker and his father lying at the back end of his aisle.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Crowley anxiously finished his incantation as his minions lit the ring of holy oil. They waited and for awhile there was nothing save for the crackle of flames. Then came a sudden gust of wind, which almost threatened to blow out the flames, and then a figure appeared as the wind quickly died down.

"What do you want, traitorous demon?" Castiel asked coldly.

"I have some news for you." Crowley said, choking back his fear. He hated himself for feeling it but this new Castiel had exploded an archangel with but a thought. It was easy to be afraid of him.

Castiel snorted in derision as he observed his surroundings.

"You wish to give me news yet you trap me in a ring of holy oil?" he asked then added, "You know I could break free of this paltry thing if I wished it."

Crowley flashed a quick, apologetic grin.

"One can't be too careful, can one?" he replied. Castiel didn't respond but merely snapped his fingers and one of Crowley's minions exploded into bits. Blood and gore covered the area where the lesser demon had once stood. Crowley paled but tried to maintain his composure.

"Speak quickly, before I grow bored and destroy you all." Castiel said dangerously.

"I've found the Winchesters." the head demon began nervously. Castiel sniffed dismissively.

"They matter not. Eventually they will see reason and come back to me. To their true god."

"They've found a new ally. A powerful ally. My sources say she may be a nephilim." Crowley added quickly. That caught the would-be god's attention. He approached closer to Crowley, to the very edge of the ring.

"That cannot be. It is forbidden for angels to procreate with humans." Castiel replied in disbelief.

"My sources believe that she was an accident from an irresponsible angel's time on earth and that she's hid all these years to escape Heaven's detection."

Castiel thought on this then eyed Crowley curiously.

"What do you hope to gain by telling me this?"

Crowley swallowed audibly and hesitantly approached the circle.

"A reprieve from your vengeance. I'll even stay in Hell awhile and pull back my minions on Earth." the desperate demon offered. Once again, Castiel thought on Crowley's words. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, Castiel finally spoke.

"Very well. Bring the girl here so that I may see her and you can have your deal. Fail and I will kill you and your minions." he proposed.

"Wonderful. We will get her here." Crowley paused then looked at Castiel, "What will you do with her if she is a nephilim?"

"Not that it matters to you, but I will convert her. She will make a useful weapon against the unbelievers." Castiel answered simply. Then without further ado, the flames extinguished and the former angel was gone. Crowley sighed in relief then eyed his minions.

"Ok, people, the plan goes ahead as scheduled. Get the girl here as soon as possible." he ordered.

"What of the Winchesters and their friends?" one of the lesser demons asked.

"If they get in the way, kill them. They're not part of the deal."

At those words, all of the demons assembled smiled in anticipation.

-)*(-

Lucy and the Winchesters returned home from running errands around dinner time. Bobby and Sally were setting the table when the trio entered. Everything seemed fine except that Lucy seemed quiet and in her own world.

Dinner progressed the same way. Everyone seemed in high spirits and spoke positively of the house's defenses that had been set in the past few days. However, Lucy seemed detached from it all, eating her food and appearing deep in thought. When dessert was brought out, Lucy grabbed a plate with a pie slice and without another word, headed out to her workshop.

"Is she ok?" Sally asked clearly concerned, "Did something happen in town?"

"Things were fine for the most part." Dean answered with three different slices of pie in front of him, "We had a couple of incidents with pissy townsfolk but it never came to blows."

Sally nodded but didn't say anything more. She spared a glance out to the workshop then went back to sipping her tea.

After dessert, Sam and Dean relaxed out in the cool night air, sitting out on the back porch, feet propped up on the banister. They reclined lazily in their chairs and Dean had a pleased look on his face.

"What are you grinning at?" Sam asked, eyeing his brother with interest.

"You know, all things considered, this is the longest run of down time we've had in a long while." Dean replied, looking out as stars began to dot the night sky.

"Trying to defend against a demon attack is down time?" the younger Winchester asked incredulously.

"No! I meant spending time with Sally, Bobby, and Lucy. It's been quiet and relaxing." he explained then he got a devilish grin on his face, "I think you've been enjoying your time with Lucy as well." Dean winked at Sam, prompting Sam to hit his brother on the arm.

"Dude, we're just friends! Don't be an idiot!" Sam admonished his older brother, scowling all the while.

"I saw how you were looking at her in the truck. Don't deny it, Sammy. You like her."

"I can't like her!" Sam exclaimed, "We're supposed to protect her from Crowley and Cas and God knows what else! It wouldn't work." Sam then calmed and smiled to himself.

"I can't deny that I enjoy being around her. I feel peaceful when I'm with her. All that anger and rage I have, it just goes away. It's been like that since we met as kids. And the things she can do! She's so talented! I could watch her work just to see what she'll come up with next."

All through Sam's explanation, Dean could only sit back and smile with self-satisfaction.

"Dude, you like her." he said, still wearing that smile, "She's in the workshop. Go talk to her."

"No. I think she wants to be alone." Sam answered, glancing at the barn that was Lucy's haven.

"That didn't stop you last time." Dean replied.

"This time's different. Something was on her mind. I don't want to distract her."

Dean shrugged and took a sip from his beer. They stayed like that for awhile longer, not talking but enjoying each other's company and looking at the stars. Eventually Dean stood and headed back inside to get some sleep. Sam stayed outside, telling his brother he wasn't tired yet, when in truth he wanted to wait for Lucy. Dean's comments aside, Sam wanted to make sure she was okay and didn't want others around that would bother them.

Time passed and still Lucy didn't emerge from the workshop. Sam still waited on the back porch, enjoying the quiet, broken only occasionally by the distant neighing of horses. Time passed and soon the quiet and exhaustion caught up to Sam and his eyes grew heavy. Soon he was fast asleep.

He didn't wake again until he was jolted from sleep by a sharp pain in his neck that he had gotten from sleeping in the chair. He looked around groggily and saw that day was beginning to break. The world was a light gray and a fine mist hung about the ground. Sam was surprised that he hadn't woken up from the cold then he noticed that he had somehow gotten a blanket.

"Sleep ok?" a voice asked quietly. Sam jumped a little at the sound. Lucy was sitting next to him in the seat that Dean had been in the previous night. She too had a blanket over her lap and she had been writing in a large, leather-bound journal that she cradled in her arms.

"When did I fall asleep?" Sam asked, stretching and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Dunno. I left the workshop at about two o'clock and I found you passed out. I didn't want to wake you so I brought blankets and kept you company."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you out. Did you sleep?" Sam replied sheepishly.

"I didn't. It's ok though. I don't need to sleep as much as regular people." she said, a peaceful expression on her face. Sam turned to his side and studied her.

"Are you feeling better? You looked out of it yesterday." he asked.

"Yeah. I just had a lot to think about. I appreciate you leaving me alone last night so I could figure stuff out." Lucy answered and Sam had to stop himself from smiling. He owed Dean an 'I told you so' the next time he saw him. Lucy didn't seem to notice Sam's pleased look and continued.

"Especially with what happened in town yesterday, I had to rethink your offer."

"And?"

"I made a decision. I'll go with you and Dean. I can't live like this anymore, being the town outcast. Besides, it might be safer for Mom if I go."

Sam gave her an encouraging smile.

"I'm glad that you'll be coming with us."

Lucy was about to say something else but she suddenly got a concerned look on her face, her brow furrowing in concentration, and she seemed to look past Sam.

"Someone's here." she said seriously. Sam sat up quickly and tossed off his blanket.

"Is it a demon?" he asked urgently.

"I don't think so. They're out front. Let's go."

The two of them went back through the house to get to the front porch, with Sam collecting his gun on the way and tucking it in his jeans at the small of his back, covering it with his shirt. To their relief, it was only a police officer. He was approaching the porch as they exited the house. Lucy quickly shook her head to let Sam know that the man wasn't a demon.

"Can I help you officer?" Lucy asked politely.

"Miss Philips, I was just coming over to talk about your whereabouts yesterday afternoon." the burly man asked, voice heavy with a southern drawl.

"Yesterday afternoon I was running errands for my mother with a couple friends."

The officer looked at Sam, face expressionless.

"Were you one of those friends, boy?"

"Yes, sir."

He nodded, wrote something in a notebook, and then turned back to Lucy.

"Could you tell me your route from yesterday?"

Lucy recounted the order of events from yesterday and when they had returned home. The officer continued to jot down notes as she spoke.

"Sir, may I ask what this is about?" Lucy said after she had finished her report.

"This morning when the store was opened, Mr. Robertson and one of his employees were found dead in the back of it. Both their necks were broken. His son has not been found. We looked at footage from yesterday and saw you and one other unknown person had been in the shop that day."

Lucy's eyes went wide in shock and her mouth opened and closed as if she was trying to speak but no sound would come out. The officer noted her reaction and looked to Sam.

"We know her relationship with the boy and his father. We don't think she did it but we need to cover all the bases. It'd be best if you didn't do any traveling until we find this other person." he explained, his demeanor softening a bit. Sam nodded.

"Yes, sir."

The officer nodded back then headed to his car. Once he was gone, Lucy turned back to Sam. Tears welled in her eyes but didn't fall. She still had a look of fear and disbelief on her face.

"Sam, the demons did this didn't they?"

"Most likely. They're probably watching you and trying to recruit." he replied honestly.

"It was because they want me." she said as the tears finally began to spill down her slender cheeks. Sam saw where this was going and shook his head, grabbing her shoulders to make her look at him.

"Do not blame yourself! Demons are vicious, chaotic, and cruel. You couldn't have known that they'd go to the hardware store." he said earnestly. He sighed and brought Lucy in for a tight hug.

"Don't blame yourself. We will fight them and get rid of them. Just be strong." he whispered. He felt her nod and Sam even kissed the top of her head to comfort her. Despite his words to encourage Lucy, Sam was getting worried. The demons were quickly becoming aggressive. Did it mean that they would attack soon or were they trying to lure Lucy out? They had to figure this out soon before more people died.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After the others woke up, Sam and Lucy told them about the police visit and Mr. Robertson's death. Sally was visibly upset by the news while Dean and Bobby silently fumed.

"Well so much for leading the demons out of town." Bobby said gruffly.

"Yeah, now we're stuck here. We're going to have to find these bastards and fast." Dean added. Sam nodded in agreement but Lucy only stared out the living room window. She was barely listening to what the others were saying. Sally sat next to her daughter and gently stroked her hair.

"Honey, whatcha thinking?" she asked softly. Lucy looked to her mother, face expressionless.

"I'm going after the demons." she answered simply.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about! I'll get the weapons." Dean exclaimed, jumping up out of his seat. Lucy looked at him and shouted.

"No! You guys are staying here!" Dean stopped what he was doing, completely confused by her reply.

"What do you mean? Going off alone?" he asked, "We're in this together."

"No, we're not. They want me and only me. You guys can stay here and look after my mom." Lucy stopped and gave a soft laugh, "Who knows, I may even get a shot at the Big Bad while I'm there. You said that he and the demons had worked together before."

Sam shook his head in denial as Dean walked back to Lucy.

"Are you crazy? You're not ready to fight Cas! You'd be dead before you even threw a punch!" Dean retorted angrily. Lucy stood and fixed Dean with a steely gaze.

"I'm not weak. I could take him." she replied seriously. Dean didn't flinch under her stare, it only strengthened his resolve.

"You've got power, yeah, but you're untrained for the most part. You've got no fighting experience. You go alone and you might as well put on a bow and say 'I surrender'." Dean shot back.

Lucy's jaw clenched and she looked like she was about to hit him. Luckily for Dean, she didn't. Lucy turned to Sam, hoping for some support.

"What do you think?" she asked briskly.

"Lucy, I think that you need to calm down and think rationally." Sam said slowly, "You go alone with no knowledge of their numbers and you could lose terribly. We need to focus and stay together right now."

Lucy's shoulders slumped at Sam's words. She had hoped that Sam would agree with her, but as she thought on it she realized that the Winchesters were right. Her proposed course of action would be reckless and stupid.

Lucy didn't say another word but instead stormed out of the room and went out the front door. Everyone winced as the door slammed shut loudly behind her.

"Well that went well." Bobby said sarcastically.

"Yeah." Dean replied then looked at Sally, "She didn't just vanish did she?" Sally looked out the window and blew a sigh of relief.

"No, she's sitting out on the porch." she answered relieved.

"So what do we do now? That kid is out for blood. We can't keep her cooped up forever." Bobby replied. For awhile everyone was silent. No one had an answer. It seemed like the demons held all the cards and the good guys were left grasping for ideas. Finally, Sally stood a look of determination on her face.

"We need to get ideas on where these bastards are hiding. One group should go out, the other stays here with Lucy. If trouble comes, she's the only one who can invoke the wards." she explained.

"You think it's a good idea, splitting up?" Dean asked skeptically. Sally shrugged, her determined façade crumbling a little.

"Not really but we don't have much choice. Things are already getting out of control." she answered. Dean nodded in agreement then looked to Sam.

"You and Sally stay here with Lucy. She listens best to you two." he said sternly, "Bobby and I will check on things in town."

"No." Sally interjected, "I should go. With people disappearing, you're going to need a familiar face with you, otherwise people won't talk."

"Ok then me and Sally will go, Bobby stays here with Sam." Dean amended and the group broke to gather supplies, Sam going to talk to Lucy.

She wasn't thrilled with the plan but the young nephilim agreed that it was all they could do at the moment. Sam could see that she wanted to go with Dean and her mother. Sally noticed it as well and placed a calming hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"It's ok, darlin'." she said reassuringly, "We find anything out we'll come right back here. We won't go off half-cocked. You just be ready when we get back."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Atta girl." Sally replied then turned her attention to the other two hunters, "You boys keep an eye on my baby. Understand?"

Both men nodded, Sam even stood closer to Lucy, ready to protect her should a threat come. With that said Sally and Dean left for town in the Impala.

Long, boring hours passed before Dean and Sally returned. It was mid-afternoon when the black Impala roared back into the driveway. Lucy, Sam, and Bobby hurried outside, eager for news. Both hunters looked apprehensive as the others approached.

"Any luck?" Lucy asked.

"More people are missing." Dean answered gravely, "The people that did talk to us said that the missing were all people around Lucy's age. Probably people she knew."

"People that would be eager to be rid of me." Lucy said horrified, "Eager participants."

"That's not all. We think that we may have been followed around town. We need to get inside and invoke the wards." Sally said urgently. No sooner had the words left Sally's mouth; the four hunters were flung backwards by an unseen force, leaving Lucy standing alone.

The stunned young woman looked and saw Trey Robertson, two other people from town, and a woman she had never seen before. All of them, except for the woman, were displaying black eyes.

"Lucy, run!" Dean called out, slightly panicked because of the woman and because he couldn't move. Lucy, however, didn't do as Dean asked and merely stared down the approaching woman.

"Leave them all alone, demon." Lucy said angrily. The woman laughed and tossed her dark curls over her shoulder.

"Little girl, what are you gonna do? These boys were willing hosts and your friends aren't going to help you."

Without speaking, Lucy was gone in a blink of an eye, reappearing by two of the female demon's minions. She placed a hand on both men's heads and quickly chanted. Both men cried out in pain and soon the demons inhabiting their bodies were extinguished. Both men then slumped to the ground unconscious.

Trey Robertson, or rather the demon in Trey, growled in fury and charged at Lucy. He thrust forward his left arm in an attempt to punch Lucy. She quickly ducked, grabbing his arm as she went, and then used his momentum to flip him over herself and onto his back. Still holding his arm, Lucy stood and stomped hard on Trey's abdomen right below his ribs. On a normal person, the force of the nephilim's blow would have killed them but on this demon-possessed man, the blow only made him curl into a fetal position and cough up blood.

"Stay down!" Lucy hissed, now furious. She was ready to turn her fury on the female demon but her anger quickly dissipated when she turned around. The female stood behind Sally, one hand clamped on the old hunter's throat. Sally, like the Winchesters and Bobby, could not move.

"Meg, let her go!" Dean yelled.

"I don't think so, Dean-o. This little lady is keeping her daughter from stomping on my guts." Meg replied smugly. Lucy slowly stepped forward, hate etched on her face.

"Let my mother go, demon."

"Consider her insurance, little freak. My boss has an associate who wants to meet you. We're gonna hold onto her until you go through with the meeting." Meg said, holding Sally close.

"You hurt her and I'll make Hell look like a spa after I'm through with you." Lucy warned, taking a step forward.

"Uh-uh, little freak!" Meg exclaimed, getting a tighter grip on Sally, "No trying to rush me. I will kill her." Lucy stopped and looked helplessly at Sally.

"It's ok, baby girl. Everything's going to be ok." Sally said bravely.

"So sweet." Meg hissed in Sally's ear then looked teasingly at Lucy, "You've got til tonight at midnight. Come and find us, little freak."

Meg and Sally were then gone before Lucy could move. Sam, Dean, and Bobby got up, now free of Meg's power, and all slowly approached Lucy. The young woman had slumped to the ground, angrily hitting her fists into the dirt.

"What are we going to do now?" she cried desperately. Sam knelt in front of her and held her hands, mostly to prevent her from hurting herself.

"You need to relax first. Getting upset will just lead to mistakes." he said calmly but seriously. Lucy nodded, blinking away tears. Sam smiled reassuringly then stood and helped Lucy up.

"So what do we do now?" Lucy repeated as she dusted herself off, "We don't know where they are."

"We'll plan an attack and get ready to move out." Dean answered then looked past Lucy and smiled.

"As for their location, let's go ask Captain 'Roid-Rage and his new buddy."

Lucy turned around, following Dean's gaze. Meg had left behind the injured Trey Robertson. The big man still lay curled up on the ground. Lucy scowled and angrily approached the foolish man.

"He's mine."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Sam and Dean watched in awe as Lucy pushed aside her heavy benches to make space for a devil's trap. She moved them as easily as if they were made of cardboard. Once she had the floor clear, Sam and Dean helped her paint the trap on the workshop floor. The trio was quick but careful in painting the necessary symbols. One wrong mark and the demon would not be contained.

Once satisfied with their work, Lucy went to get the prisoner. She had hog-tied the big man using leather bands that had angelic symbols etched into them.

"Why not just leave him like that?" Sam asked, keeping clear of the big man. Lucy grunted as she hefted up the bound man and tossed him unceremoniously into the circle.

"Because these are only a temporary measure. Plus, if he's tied up, he won't be able to talk due to his injuries." she explained as she untied the prisoner. Lucy quickly exited the trap when she finished untying Trey. The demon gurgled as he growled, blood-flecked spittle dripping from his mouth. He glared hatefully at Lucy, eyes completely black.

"Let me go, nephilim scum. Otherwise my master will kill your mother." he hissed, getting himself to a kneeling position.

"Your master cares nothing for you, demon-spawn. She left you to rot." Lucy scoffed, not intimidated in the least. The demon laughed and looked from Sam to Dean and back to Lucy.

"It matters not. I will not speak and your mother will still die."

Lucy flinched slightly but quickly regained her composure.

"Well luckily, you're not the only one with whom I can speak." she replied. The demon eyed her skeptically.

"Who? My host? He will not speak, I will not allow it." Lucy's face gave away nothing to her prisoner.

"We'll see." She stood back from the circle and gave a quick look to the brothers. Dean was more focused on the demon captive but Sam looked back at Lucy and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Do what you need to. We still have time." he whispered. Lucy nodded and took a calming breath. Holding up one of the leather bands that still had Trey's blood on it; Lucy closed her eyes and quietly began another chant. Soon Trey began to convulse and the demon growled in anger as he tried to resist Lucy's power. Despite its protests, the poor creature was soon writhing in pain within the devil's trap.

Sam and Dean almost felt sorry for the creature but then they remembered that Trey Robertson had been a willing host. He had helped capture Lucy's mother. This wretch had forfeited any chance of receiving mercy from them.

Eventually Trey stopped his writhing and growling, the black draining from his eyes. Lucy was then confident that her chant had worked though she still held onto the leather band in case something had gone wrong. Both brothers noticed that she seemed tired and drained from her work but before they could comment on it, Trey roared in anger and charged toward them. However, when he reached the edge of the circle he stopped as if he had hit a wall and was flung backward. He landed in the circle and glared at them hatefully.

"You didn't exorcise him?" Dean asked surprised.

"No, I need him to still have access to the demon's memories. Besides, with the demon in him, he's easier to contain." Lucy replied, returning Trey's stare.

"I'm not telling you anything, freak!" Trey spat out, "You deserve this!"

"Why? Because of your stupidity in high school? And now you join with demons because of it? You're a petty fool!" Lucy shot back. Trey quieted but he still glared at Lucy.

"You know they killed your father, right?" Lucy added quietly.

"Yeah, my demon told me."

Lucy was shocked and unnerved by Trey's calmness at her response.

"And you're ok with that? You're ok with them killing my mother and other people in this town?"

"They said they'd leave after we got rid of you." Trey quickly exclaimed.

"Ha! You really are an idiot." Dean interjected, "Demons don't keep promises, kid. They'll kill even after you do their dirty work."

Some doubt finally flickered across Trey's face, giving Lucy hope that they were making progress. Lucy stepped closer to the circle, arms folded in front of her.

"Trey, tell me where they're keeping my mother." she ordered, tone calm and even. Trey swallowed and paused to think.

"Do I get to keep my demon?" he asked petulantly. Lucy and the brothers looked at him in disgust.

"No! I don't care how powerful you feel, you'll end up killing causing chaos!" Lucy exclaimed, "You go that way and you will be truly damned!"

Trey's eyes widened in fear at those words, although Sam wondered if Trey saw something else, something frightening, when he looked at the half-angel before him. Whatever it was, Trey soon was babbling all he knew. When Lucy was satisfied, she healed then exorcised the foolish man.

"Leave now. And so help me, if you ever let yourself get possessed again, I will find you and I will just go ahead and kill you. Understand?"

The big man nodded, too afraid to speak. Lucy jerked her head towards the door and the terrified man ran, not even bothering to ask for a ride home.

"Now what?" Dean asked as they left the workshop.

"What? When did I become the boss?" Lucy asked, completely surprised.

"You kicked ass in there, got the info we needed. Plus, it's your mom. We'll follow you on this one." he answered completely serious. Lucy looked off to the setting sun, deep in thought. After a few minutes she looked back to Sam and Dean.

"Ok clean up, get something to eat, and then pack up your car and my truck. Two people per vehicle. Once night falls we'll head out." she replied. Both Winchesters nodded their agreement and the trio went inside the house to prepare for the upcoming fight.

-)*(-

Away to the other side of town, Sally struggled against her bonds in a dirty room of the abandoned farmhouse. Her hands and feet had been bound tightly and a gag had been tied over her mouth. The demons had stripped her of her weapons, even the knife that she had hid in her boot. That didn't stop her from trying to get out though. She knew Lucy and the men would be walking into a trap. The old hunter couldn't let that happen.

The creaking of the door to her cell alerted her to the arrival of visitors and the older woman stopped her struggling. Two men entered the room, one short with thinning dark hair, Sally knew this one to be Crowley, and the other man was new. He stood taller than Crowley and had unruly dark hair and equally dark eyes. Day-old stubble was on his face and he seemed tired. He wore a tan raincoat over a dark business suit, which just seemed out of place. This new man eyed Sally intently and it unnerved her greatly.

"You another demon?" was what she wanted to ask but her mouth was still covered. The man smiled and as if reading her mind answered, "No, I'm not a demon. I'm something more."

Sally's eyes widened as the man reached for her but all he did was release her gag.

"There. Now we can have a proper conversation." the man then turned to Crowley, "Leave us."

Crowley nodded and wordlessly left the room. Once the demon leader was gone, the second man smiled and stood straight with his arms behind his back.

"Who are you?" Sally asked hesitantly. She was greatly unsettled by his presence. He looked human and acted human but there was something wrong about him. Even his facial expressions didn't seem quite right.

"I am God." he answered matter-of-factly. Sally scoffed as she tried to sit up straighter on the dusty floor.

"God wouldn't work with demons." she replied. The man shrugged as if her opinion didn't matter.

"These are unique times. One does what one must."

"Doesn't matter. You still deal with demons."

The man ignored her and walked to the room's one window, which allowed little light due to its thick layers of dust and grime.

"What you say doesn't matter actually. All that matters is that your daughter comes here to me." he said calmly. Sally froze at those words and she suddenly had a terrible feeling.

"You're Castiel aren't you? Why do you want my daughter?" she asked, heart racing. Castiel didn't move from the window when he answered.

"She has great power and I can utilize that power. She will make an excellent acolyte." he began. He turned back to Sally, that calm look still on his face.

"I have to commend you. Raising a nephilim to adulthood is no easy feat. You've done an excellent job." He slowly stepped toward her again and that terrible feeling that Sally had became horrible and twisting in her gut.

"However, to reach her true potential she needs to relieve herself of the things that are holding her back." he continued as Sally once again struggled against her bonds. Fear gnawed at her as the bonds refused to loosen. Castiel was soon upon her. Her eyes widened in terror as the power-mad angel quickly hoisted her off the ground. He held her up by the front of her shirt, bound legs dangling an inch or two off the ground.

Sally tried to kick her legs out at him but that only led to jolts of pain coursing up her wounded leg. Her attempts didn't bother Castiel; he even seemed amused by it. He brought her closer to him and ran his free hand down the side of Sally's face.

"Yes, you've done well raising this girl. But your time is over now. You must be the first to go."

Sally's heart felt like it was ready to burst from her chest, she was so afraid from hearing those words. All hope of saving Lucy drained away. Her daughter was indeed walking into a trap and there was truly nothing she could do. Sally's only hope now was that the end would be quick.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

By nightfall all was ready for the attack on the demons. The Impala and the truck were loaded and everyone was fed and rested. All they needed now was Lucy.

Sam volunteered to go look for her while Dean and Bobby stayed with the vehicles. He knew that Lucy wasn't in the house because they hadn't seen her when they were getting ready. So Sam cut through the house and headed to the workshop.

Inside the large barn it was dark save for a light coming from the loft area. Sam rushed upstairs and saw an office area. Papers with notes and sketches were everywhere, including on the desk that was facing the railing and in piles on top of some filing cabinets. It reminded Sam of an absent-minded professor.

In the corner on the other side of the desk he saw Lucy sitting in an overstuffed leather armchair, feet propped up on a wooden box. Her head rested in her left hand, looking down at the book open in her lap.

"Lucy, it's time to go." he said. Lucy didn't move at the sound of Sam's voice. He stepped closer and saw that Lucy was actually asleep. Her chest rose and fell in deep, rhythmic breaths. Sam marveled at the sight of her. This was the first time he had seen her sleep and she looked so small and innocent. Seeing her like this, a person wouldn't be able to tell that she was an angelic powerhouse. She just looked like a normal girl.

Sam knelt beside the chair, gently brushing away some loose strands of hair from her face. He very much wanted to kiss her at that moment but he restrained himself. It would just bring up a lot of questions and right now they needed to focus on the task at hand.

"Lucy, wake up. It's time to go." Sam said softly as he gave her a quick shake. Lucy started from her sleep with a quick intake of breath. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around bleary-eyed.

"Sam? What's up?" she asked, stifling a yawn.

"It's time to go get your mom back. Dean and Bobby are at the cars waiting." Sam explained as Lucy stood and stretched.

"Ok good. Let's go." she said, heading towards the stairs. Sam caught her arm and pulled her back to him.

"Lucy, are you ok?" he asked, clearly concerned. Lucy grinned at him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little worn out. That's more power than I've used in a long. I'll be fine though." she said confidently. Then her grin vanished and she looked at Sam grimly.

"Besides, it's not like I have much of a choice right now." she added. Sam frowned, feeling like he should say something but no words would come. Lucy turned and headed quickly downstairs with Sam following close behind.

Back at the cars, Dean and Bobby did a final weapons check. Both men didn't want to admit it but they were nervous. They didn't know how many demons there would be and they knew that Castiel would be there. It would be a lot to handle, even with Lucy's power. The outlook didn't seem promising.

"All set, Bobby?" Dean asked for the third time.

"Yup. You?"

"Yup."

Silence engulfed the two as they stood by the cars. There really wasn't more that they could say. All they could do was wait for Sam and Lucy. They didn't have to wait long though. They soon heard the front door close and they looked up to see the pair coming down the steps. Dean was a little unnerved to see Lucy approaching with a big knife in her hand, unsheathed.

"Uh, Lucy, what's with the knife?" Dean asked warily.

"One more small bit of business before we go." she said, slicing her hand with the large blade. Immediately she cupped her hand to allow the blood to collect there and she dipped her fingers in. Calm as could be, she started marking symbols on Dean's forehead, as if it was normal.

"Don't be a wuss." she said when she saw Dean grimace.

"What's this for, girl?" Bobby asked when it was his turn.

"I thought of this earlier. I can't watch you guys the whole time. This mark will help you with unseen dangers, like hellhounds. That's the theory anyway. I just came up with this tonight." she explained. All three men looked at her incredulously.

"What? I'm just trying to cover all the bases. It seemed like a good idea. Anyway, it should work." she said as she moved on to Sam.

"Should?" he asked, still giving her an unsure look.

"Shut up. It'll work."

Sam smirked as Lucy continued to mark him. Once she was done, she cleaned the blade and sheathed it. Dean was surprised to see that the wound on Lucy's hand had already closed. The surprises just kept coming with this girl.

Before long they were on the road, Dean and Bobby in the Impala and Sam and Lucy in the truck. They took back roads to the old farm so as not to alert potential lookouts that could be in town. The drive was quiet for all of them, but it seemed even more so in the black truck. It seemed like Lucy was focusing on something besides the road as she drove. Not even the windows were open to let in a breeze.

Then without warning, Lucy grabbed her walkie-talkie as she pulled to the side of the road.

"Dean, it's Lucy. Pull over behind me. We'll walk the rest of the way in." she said then let go of the button. There was static and then a click on the other end.

"How many, Lucy? Can you tell?" Dean's voice crackled. Lucy focused outward and tried to pick apart the auras she was reading. After a bit, she clicked the button again.

"Dean, we've got five outside with a couple hellhounds. Inside the house I'm not sure. Mom's still in there though, demon-free." she replied, relief evident at the end.

"Ok it's a start. You and Sam lead on, Bobby and I will follow."

"Sounds good. See you there." Lucy and Sam quickly exited the truck and grabbed their gear. Sam grinned when he saw Lucy strap on her kitana. This was going to be interesting.

The two could see lights up ahead so they got off the main road and into the overgrown fields. No sooner had they begun walking, they heard low growls. They both froze then slowly turned to the source of the sound. What Sam saw made him want to vomit. Words could not describe the hideous creature he saw before him. The hellhound only resembled a dog in the vaguest sense of the word.

Out of sheer revulsion alone, Sam took aim and fired his handgun. He caught the beast in the head and it slumped to the ground. He quickly fired again just to make sure that the disgusting thing was dead. Sam took a deep, steadying breath as he holstered his weapon.

"Well Lucy, looks like your spell works. Good job." Sam turned to where Lucy was but to his surprise, she was gone. He looked around worriedly, quietly calling for her. She wouldn't have left him alone, wouldn't have been so reckless. A terrifying thought then occurred to Sam. What if she had been taken? It wasn't hard to figure out who would behind it. Sam quickly radioed Dean then pulled out his gun and went on alone.

-)*(-

Lucy opened her eyes, blinking her eyes repeatedly in the sudden light. The last thing she remembered was finding the hellhound with Sam and then blackness. As her eyes adjusted, she saw that she was in an old room, most likely at the demons' hideout. She picked herself up off the dirty floor, cursing herself for not preparing for this possibility. She had been so focused on protecting her friends that she hadn't protected herself. Now Sam was out there alone. Lucy prayed that he was fine and that he would meet up with Dean and Bobby.

"I'm glad to see you're awake." a calm voice said suddenly. She spun around surprised and saw a dark-haired man in a suit and trench coat. Her was smiling pleasantly at her but that smile did not reach his cold eyes. Lucy sensed the truth of this man, sensed his awful power. It made her blood run cold. His smile widened at her discomfort.

"Hello, Lucy. It's good to finally meet you."


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I've been sick.**

**Anyway, I'm giving this chapter a rating of M because of some violence/slight gore. Just a little forewarning for those of you who don't like that kind of stuff.**

**Enjoy! Only a couple chapters left!**

**-)*(-**

Chapter 11

Dean and Bobby were having a harder time than Sam. From the start they had been set upon by demons. Their enemies also had a couple hellhounds with them. Luckily Lucy's spell worked for them as well. Dean especially had been bothered by the sight of them because they reminded him of his time in Hell. Without hesitation he quickly put two bullets in each hound then turned his attention back to Bobby and their other adversaries.

For some reason the demons weren't using their full power on them. However, that didn't make the fight much easier. They were still incredibly strong and the hunters' special bullets weren't having much of an effect.

Dean quickly took the butt of his shotgun and bashed it into his attacker's nose. He then dropped the rifle and took out his handgun, aiming low on the recovering demon. Two loud blasts went off and the demon fell in shock, blood pouring from the possessed man's ruined knees. Dean then reached behind his back and unsheathed his short sword. He grimly approached the demon and raised his sword, tip down, then wordlessly plunged it down into the prostrate demon's abdomen.

The demon writhed as orange light flickered in his eyes and open mouth. Then it was gone and the man was dead.

Dean wanted to feel bad for the dead host but then he thought about how Meg had been taking willing hosts. He shrugged away his guilt and went to help Bobby. Suddenly Dean fell to the ground as another demon tackled him, knocking his sword away in the process. The demon grabbed him roughly by the front of his shirt and hoisted him up to his feet.

"Time to die, Winchester." this new demon hissed angrily. Dean struggled to no avail as the demon reached for his throat. He thought he was done for when he heard a 'thump' and a thin silver knife came through the demon's throat, blood leaking from the wound. The demon's face went blank as the light flickered out its eyes and mouth.

Dean was released from the iron grip as the body fell to the ground. A few feet back Dean could see Sam with two more knives in his hands. The younger Winchester approached his brother, admiring the throwing knives, each engraved with angelic symbols.

"Damn, Lucy does good work." he said, handing the two to his brother. Dean put one in each of his boot sheaths and picked up his sword and guns.

"Yeah no kidding. This sword is bitchin'." Dean replied as they heard another gunshot. The brothers turned to see Bobby dropping the last of his attackers. He looked at the boys sternly.

"Thanks for the help." he said sarcastically.

"Like we didn't have our own problems." Dean retorted as they approached the older hunter. Bobby rolled his eyes and gathered his equipment.

"Ok so Cas has Lucy now?" Dean asked when Bobby was done.

"Yeah. She wouldn't have gone off on her own." Sam replied.

"Ok then we stick together and take out the rest of these bastards. Hopefully we get in that house before Cas can hurt Lucy or her mom." Dean answered. Sam and Bobby nodded their agreement. Without another word, the three hunters headed out towards the house.

-)*(-

"Hello, Lucy. It's nice to finally meet you."

Lucy kept her distance, eyeing the man before her warily.

"What should I call you?" she asked, "You're not Castiel anymore."

"Very perceptive, Lucy. No I am not. I am more than him now. I am God." he answered. Lucy snickered at that statement.

"You're definitely not God." she replied seriously. The man that had been Castiel frowned. The girl's mother had said something similar earlier but that had been based on her own personal views. This girl said this with surety. She saw something other than his physical form when she looked at him.

For the first time in a long time, he felt unnerved. He didn't like it. He hid his unease and gave her another one of his empty smiles.

"Lucy, you've been an outcast your whole life. I'm here to offer you a position working for me. We'll change the world, you and I." Lucy rolled her eyes, subtly clicking her kitana out of its hilt.

"I don't give a damn about your plans. I'm just here to get my mom." Lightning-fast, Lucy charged at Castiel, sword drawn. She managed to cut his left arm before he pushed her away. She hit the wall hard, sending her vision spinning and her sword dropping from her nerveless hand.

Castiel grabbed his arm as bursts of fiery pain shot up his arm. She had treated the blade with angelic spells of some kind. They were attacking not only his form, but the spirits within him. He glared at her angrily and Lucy looked horrified as she watched something move under the skin of his face.

He approached her slowly, right hand clamped over the wound. Lucy's vision was going blurry from her head injury but she frantically tried to think of a way to fight back. She thought of everything Sam and Dean had told her about this creature. Then it came to her as Castiel reached for her.

Lucy grabbed Castiel, placing a hand on his forehead. The ex-angel looked shocked at the strength of her grip.

"What are you doing?" he gasped.

"You're like a demon. You have souls that don't belong to you. So I'll just exorcise you." she replied coolly then began to chant, although it wasn't any chant that Castiel had heard before. Lucy could feel the wrath of all the souls within this shell of a man. She gritted her teeth and put more power into the chant. Her body ached from the amount of power she had to use but she refused to let up.

Castiel's body jerked spasmodically as she worked and Lucy thought that it was finally working. Then she was hit unexpectedly by Castiel's power, the power of these souls, and it broke the connection, blasting her back into the wall. Castiel had fallen to his knees, glaring at Lucy with pure hate.

"This isn't over." he sputtered weakly. Then he was gone. Lucy was exhausted after that ordeal and disappointed that she had failed. Right now she just wanted to give in and sink into the blackness of exhaustion. But she thought of her mother and fought that urge. She grunted with pain as she leaned over and grabbed her sword. Taking off the sheath from her belt, she put it over the blade then used the weapon as a cane so she could stand.

Slowly she headed for the door and opened it. She could hear fighting outside but her focus was on getting across the hallway to the only other door she saw. Two demons were there and she summoned what strength she had left to draw her sword. They charged her but she easily cut them both down. The bodies fell as she continued her trek down the hall.

Lucy stopped at the door and caught her breath. She was so tired. She hadn't been prepared for this at all. She took a few more calming breaths and then grasped the door handle. When she opened it, Lucy saw that this room was similar to the one she had been in. In the center of the room she could see a figure lying on the floor. As she approached, her heart racing, Lucy could see that it was her mother.

"Mom!" she cried, her voice hoarse. She dropped to the ground and knelt next to her mother's body. Lucy rolled her over carefully and gently shook her.

"Momma, wake up! I'm here! We can go, we're safe now!" Lucy said urgently. But Sally didn't move. Hot tears began to well in Lucy's eyes as the realization started to set in. Her hands shook as they moved to check her mother's pulse. She pressed her fingers into the side of Sally's neck but there was nothing and the skin was incredibly cold. The tears spilled from Lucy's eyes and her body shook with heavy, choking sobs. She was too late! Lucy knew that she didn't have the power to heal her mother and that made it all the more terrible.

The exhaustion finally began to take over and Lucy collapsed next to her mother's body. Her cries started to lessen and her thoughts became hazy. Lucy had failed and now she wanted to just disappear. Her body felt heavy and numb. She thought she heard someone calling her name in the distance but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was sink into unconsciousness and let the darkness take her.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Two weeks had passed since the fight with the demons. The hunters had won, driving the demons out, but with a cost. Castiel, Crowley, and Meg had escaped and worst of all, Sally had been killed. Bobby had helped Lucy with the funeral arrangements. It had been a nice, simple service. Most of the people in attendance had been hunter friends of Sally's. Not many people from town had bothered to pay their respects.

Now the guys were staying to help Lucy finish tying up some loose ends. They were also giving her time to recuperate from her wounds, both physical and emotional.

"Hey Dean, have you seen Lucy?" Sam asked as his brother entered the living room. Dean had been working outside and was now taking a break to have a large sandwich and a beer.

"Yeah, she's still out back talking to the guy who wants to buy Sally's horses." he answered as he sat down in an armchair with his plate. Sam nodded and headed to the kitchen. He could see Lucy talking to the man through the kitchen window. Luckily there were dishes in the sink so he busied himself with washing them as he kept an eye on Lucy.

Since the fight, Sam had become very protective of Lucy, though he tried not to seem smothering. Where Dean wanted to give her space until she was ready to talk, Sam was trying to get her to interact with them and made sure she ate and slept. In some respects, Dean's way did have merit but Sam could see that Lucy was falling into herself and if they weren't careful they could easily lose her.

_We already almost lost her once._ Sam mused to himself and his thoughts went back to the night of the fight.

-)*(-

Sam, Dean, and Bobby had fought their way to the house though they could see that the demons were already fleeing. Dean and Bobby checked the first floor while Sam did a sweep of the second. He immediately saw two dead bodies when he reached the top of the stairs. It looked like the bodies had been diagonally slashed with a sword. Sam's heart beat faster, knowing that Lucy was here.

"Lucy!" he called out, "Lucy, where are you?" He checked each room in order, gun held at the ready. Finally, Sam opened the door to the last room and his eyes widened in horror at what he saw. Both Sally and Lucy were collapsed on the floor; Lucy's kitana was discarded off to the side. Sam holstered his gun and fumbled with his two-way radio.

"Dean, Bobby, I found them! Get upstairs now!" he said urgently then put it away and rushed into the room. There was no pulse for Sally and Sam could see that she had been dead for some time. He then checked Lucy, her skin was so cold, but she had a faint pulse and her breathing was shallow. Sam took off his jacket and wrapped it around her, trying to keep her from going deeper into shock. He could hear Dean and Bobby now coming up the stairs.

"Come on, Lucy! Help is here! Come back to me. Come on, Lucy! Come back to me!"

-)*(-

Sam was so deep into his recollections that he didn't notice how hard he had been squeezing a juice glass. Suddenly stabbing pains shot up Sam's arm as shards of glass pierced his hand. Sam yelled in pain and kicked a lower cabinet in frustration.

"Damn it!" he yelled, clutching his bleeding hand. His yells had attracted attention and soon the back door was open and Lucy came in, eyes wide.

"What happened?" she asked warily then she saw Sam's hand, "Oh shit! Sam, what did you do?" Lucy grabbed a towel and gently wrapped it around Sam's hand.

"Glass broke as I was washing it." he answered, clearly embarrassed. She frowned and brought him back to the sink, her eyes more alert than they had been for awhile.

"Stay here. I'll go get the first aid kit." she instructed and then she raced from the room. As Lucy was leaving, Dean was returning to the kitchen with his empty plate and beer bottle. He eyed his brother curiously as he put the items in the sink.

"No wonder Lucy was moving so fast. What did you do?" he asked, nodding his head toward the bloody towel.

"Stupid accident." was all Sam would say. Dean nodded wordlessly, a smirk on his face. When he heard Lucy coming back, Dean went out the door to the back porch, leaving the two alone. Lucy returned carrying what looked like a big, plastic tool box. She placed it on the kitchen table and motioned for Sam to take a seat. As he sat, Lucy grabbed a small plate then took out a pair of tweezers. She sat in front of Sam and quickly began picking out the glass shards. Sam watched her work, occasionally wincing in pain, and he noticed an intense, focused look on her face.

"I'm sorry I worried you." he said softly. Lucy glanced up at him, dropping another shard onto the plate.

"Don't be sorry. I'm just jumpy." she answered somberly. Quiet returned as she went back to picking out shards. Soon all the shards were out and Lucy used an antiseptic pad to finish cleaning the wound. Then she did something unexpected. Lucy placed her hand over Sam's and closed her eyes. Sam felt tingling warmth flowing through his hand. When Lucy took her hand away, Sam was surprised to see that the cuts were completely healed.

"Lucy, that's incredible!" he breathed in awe, flexing his newly healed hand. Lucy started cleaning up, her face still looking pained.

"Simple healing. Nothing special." she replied, voice beginning to crack, "Wouldn't have helped Mom." She turned away from Sam, resting her hands on the sink for support. Sam watched helplessly as her shoulders began to bob from silent cries. He slowly got up and went to her. Sam carefully rested his hands on her shoulders, leaning into her.

"Lucy, you did your best. You can't blame yourself." he whispered.

"I'm supposed to be so powerful! I should have been able to save her!" she cried out between sobs, still facing away from Sam.

"You're still human, Lucy. We all are. We did the best we could. We just weren't ready for this." Sam answered, not giving up.

"I'm just a danger to everyone around me! It's been like that since I was a kid! I should just disappear! Everyone would be better off!" she exclaimed angrily. Sam's eyes widened in shock and his hands reflexively gripped her shoulders tighter. He found it hard to respond to that.

Outside on the porch, Dean had left the door cracked open and could hear everything. It saddened him to hear Lucy talk like that. He knew though that if anyone could help her, it was Sam.

"C'mon, Sam." he whispered, "Tell her. Tell her the truth."

Back inside, the younger Winchester was having a difficult time getting the words out. Long minutes passed with him standing behind Lucy before he finally spoke.

"You're not a danger. You are so special. You saved me, remember? Twice." he paused then rested his forehead against the back of her head. "You are an amazing person and we are better off for knowing you. Please don't give up."

At first there was no response except that Lucy had stopped shaking. Slowly she turned to Sam, her eyes red and her face still damp from tears. Lucy then offered a small smile and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Sam." she whispered then as quickly as she had hugged him, she let go.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep." she added softly. Sam nodded, smiling back at her. He watched her go, barely noticing Dean entering back into the kitchen.

"Man, you are such an idiot!" Dean hissed. He checked to see if Lucy was gone and then turned angrily back to his brother.

"What are you talking about?" a confused Sam replied.

"You chickened out! You should have told her how you felt about her!" Dean retorted, now speaking normally. Sam's jaw tightened at his brother's words.

"I couldn't do that to her." he replied and tried to leave the room but Dean grabbed his arm and pulled him back in.

"Wait. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked gruffly. Sam sighed, wrenching his arm from his brother's grasp. He sat back down at the kitchen table, looking up at his brother with sad eyes.

"Dean, I can't tell her because she has enough to deal with right now. Her mother just died and she now doubts herself because of her failure. I'm not going to add my feelings for her to the mix. It's not fair to her." Sam replied, "All I can do is show her that she matters, and that she's not alone."

Dean groaned and ran his hands through his hair. Why did everything have to be so complicated?

"Fine. But so help me, if there's a lot of this emo tension between you two, I'm kicking both your asses to the curb and I'm not coming back for you until you figure it out." he said seriously. Sam thought on it and nodded in agreement. Then a mischievous smirk came to his face.

"That's ok. Lucy can just teleport us where we need to go. I'm sure she's got a spell for that." Sam joked. Dean rolled his eyes and shoved his brother.

"Whatever. Your turn to make dinner. Bitch."

"Jerk."

When it was time to eat Lucy hadn't come down from her room but that had been common lately. After they had eaten, Sam made a tray and brought it upstairs. He gently knocked on Lucy's door and waited. After a minute there wasn't a reply so he tried again.

"Lucy, it's Sam. I brought you dinner." he said cheerfully. Still no answer. His heart started to beat faster as he thought of reasons why she wouldn't answer. He quickly opened the door, bracing himself for what he might find.

Once he was inside, though, he immediately felt like a fool. A lone lamp was turned on and Sam could see Lucy was asleep in bed, a book open in one of her hands. Sam carefully set the tray on Lucy's desk then took her book and placed it, still open to the right page, on her nightstand. He pulled up her blankets and covered her at least halfway. This was the first time she had slept in over a week.

Sam looked at her sleeping peacefully and his thoughts drifted back to what Dean had said. There was so much that Sam wanted to tell Lucy, Dean was right about that, but he couldn't do it now. Sam had meant it when he said that it would complicate things. For now he would wait. Sam spared another glance back at Lucy, making sure that she was still sleeping then quietly left the room and shut the door behind him.

-)*(-

**Only one chapter left after this! That said, I want to get a consensus. Are you interested in more stories with this character and following this storyline? I do have ideas but if no one is interested, I'm not going to bother. Please let me know. Thanks!**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Lucy woke up from her sleep feeling the best she had felt in weeks. She had slept deeply, barely even dreaming and when she did dream, they all had been good. She rolled over and looked at her clock. It was noon. She had slept all night and half of the next day.

_Must have needed sleep more than I thought._ she mused as she got out of bed. Lucy stretched out her stiff muscles then went to open the blinds over her window. Sunlight streamed in, brightening the dim room, making Lucy blink. When her eyes adjusted, she could see Dean and Bobby working on the Impala. Sam must have been in the house somewhere.

She quickly changed her clothes and headed downstairs. She could hear running water as she went so she then headed for the kitchen. The windows were open and music, Dean's most likely, filtered in from the backyard. Sam was once again doing dishes and hadn't noticed Lucy come down.

For a moment Lucy stopped to admire Sam. He was wearing jeans and a plain blue t-shirt that was loose enough to be comfortable but still teasingly accented his muscles. His feet were bare and one tapped in time to the music. Lucy smiled when she heard him quietly singing along with the music. Her heart raced as she watched him. She wanted to just walk up behind him and wrap her arms around him, holding him close. Wanted to tell him how she felt about him and what he had done for her.

But she couldn't move. In all honesty, she was afraid. Afraid of putting him in danger like she had her mother. Deep down though she also was afraid that Sam didn't feel the same way about her. Sam was kind and thoughtful but she couldn't confuse that with romantic feelings. Also, if they were going to be traveling together she didn't want to complicate things. It could make for an uncomfortable time.

Lucy bit her bottom lip and quietly turned away from the kitchen, instead going out the front door to sit on the porch.

-)*(-

Sam heard the front door close, making him look out the kitchen window. Dean and Bobby were still out back so it must have been Lucy. He quickly dried his hands and raced to the front of the house. He went out onto the porch and found Lucy sitting cross-legged in a rocking chair. She was wearing loose, gray sweatpants and a dark blue t-shirt with a wide neckline that made the shirt drape open over one shoulder. Her golden hair was loose and draped over the other shoulder. Sam suddenly found it hard to breathe.

Lucy looked up at Sam and she gave him a gentle smile. He felt his knees go weak with that smile and he had to fight hard to stand straight.

_Thank god I don't have to travel alone with her. I don't think I could take it._ Sam thought.

"Hi, Sam." she said warmly, pulling him from his thoughts. Sam was relieved to hear her talk like that. It was a vast improvement over yesterday.

"Hi, Lucy. Did you sleep ok?" he asked, sitting in the chair next to her.

"Yeah, like a rock. It was great." she answered, surprised with it.

"That's good. Do you want something to eat? I could make you something?" Sam said, standing to go to the kitchen. Lucy shook her head and grabbed his arm, gently guiding him back to his chair. He looked at her curiously as her face grew serious.

"Sam, I'm ready to go with you and Dean." she said, looking directly at Sam. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you sure? We don't want to rush you." he replied, clearly concerned.

"Yes, Sam. It's been long enough. Mom wouldn't want me to dwell for long. Plus, we're not safe here. I can ward the place in case we ever need to come back but we can't stay here permanently." she said confidently. Sam nodded, taking in the truth of Lucy's words.

"Ok, tonight we'll talk with Dean and Bobby and then we'll help you pack." Sam replied.

"Great. Thanks, Sam." Sam looked at Lucy quizzically, confused by the sentiment.

"For what?" he asked.

"For…" Lucy paused then looked at Sam and grinned, "Don't worry about it. Just thank you." Sam looked on confused, wordlessly watching as Lucy went back into the house.

After they talked with Dean and Bobby about their plans, everyone began tidying up the house and help Lucy pack. Besides clothing and other essentials, Lucy packed some of her tools and her weapons. They put everything in her car with the intention of leaving it at Bobby's for safe-keeping.

During this time they also received a call from the sheriff's office. Lucy had been cleared of the murders in town. Now there wouldn't be any trouble when they left.

A couple days later, all that was left to do was invoke the wards in the house and the workshop. Lucy pricked her finger and placed it on the now invisible markings. The areas that held the marks glowed a faint red when activated and then was gone. Lucy then locked up and met the guys out front. She stopped before getting in her car and looked back at the house. It felt strange leaving and potentially never coming back.

"It'll be ok. We'll come back someday." Sam said following her gaze.

"Yeah, you're right." she replied. Lucy took a deep, calming breath then turned and got behind the wheel. Sam got in the passenger side as Lucy turned the ignition and the Corvette roared to life. In front of them in the Impala they could hear Dean cheer at the sound of Lucy's car. She chuckled and put her car in gear.

"You ready, Sam?" she asked, giving the younger Winchester a grin, which he returned in kind.

"Of course."

With that, Lucy stepped on the gas and followed Dean's car out onto the open road.

-)*(-

Pain wracked his body as he fell onto the floor. Castiel didn't know how she had done it but the girl had weakened his control on the souls from Purgatory that were now within him. He didn't know where he had transported himself to either. All he knew was that he had to maintain control.

Castiel centered all his focus on keeping the souls contained. He didn't know how long it took but eventually the pain began to subside and he could no longer hear the roaring of angry souls. Castiel rested against the cool floor, breathing heavily. He thought of the nephilim girl and anger welled up inside him. Didn't she understand what he was trying to do? Why did she have to fight against him? She would have been his champion in conquering this world and bringing it under control. Instead she fought him and almost ruined everything.

Castiel sighed and his face set in determination. The girl would have to die, regrettably, as would all others who stood in his way. As Castiel rested and regained his strength, one thought lingered in his subconscious. One that was not his own.

_We are Leviathan. We will be free._

-)*(-

**That's the end of "The Outcast"! I hope everyone enjoyed it and I thank everyone for even choosing to read it. I am honored. **

**I am going to write another story involving Lucy. However this one will have a bit more humor and more Lucy/Sam developments. Hopefully I can start posting that soon. Thanks again!**


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